Noah of Merriment
by Starfire8001
Summary: "Stop doing this it's not safe," he tried again. "You don't understand Debitto, I don't want any of this, I never did!" she replied. "So I guess you don't want me either," and with that, he walked away. Debitto x OC
1. The Newbie

**Okay, so this is my first -Man fanfic. I don't read the manga, I only watch the anime so all of this is based after the 103rd episode. I know a few things from the manga but that's pretty much because of wikipedia and my weird searching habits.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 1

Kimiaru's thigh-length brown hair swayed behind her as she walked behind the Earl with light footsteps - she was told that the other Noah were eating so she supposed that she was being lead to a dining room. They passed through countless doors until they reached the end of the hall, crashes were heard from behind the curtain they were in front of and Kimiaru briefly wondered if there had been an invasion.

The Earl, however, was not fazed in the slightest by the clamor on the other side and parted the curtain without any hesitation. Two boys wearing a vest, pants, and a leather jacket had a dish of pie in each hand - waiting to be launched. A girl that seemed to be in her young teens smiled and waved heartily at the Earl while the lady next to her - with a long dark ponytail - greeted him with a mere "Welcome Earl-sama." A tall, lean man that wore a suit acknowledged his presence with a "yo," and glanced at the two with pies. Amusement was clearly present in his eyes and he emphasized it with a smirk.

The boy that had dark hair slowly lowered his hand from the throwing position it was in, he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"_Hee-hee_," it came from the last member that sat around the dining table - a golden-haired boy. "Hey Earl-sama, we're having a food fight with our chicken _hiii_!" With that, he launched the pastry in the direction of the barnyard animal - the chicken avoided the tasty confection by running across the long mahogany table.

The Earl clapped his hands twice and everyone gave him their full attention.

"I am happy to announce that we have a new Noah in the family, please welcome: Kimiaru," he stepped to the side revealing Kimiaru. A smile appeared on her face as she gave a shy wave to everyone in the room.

"Please introduce yourself to our newcomer," isn't it ironic how someone who wants to kill off all the exorcists and humans sounds like a friendly old man?

Each Noah said their name for the sixteen-year-old brunette, the Earl gestured for her to take a seat next to Debitto and ordered that they get to know each other. After his commands, he disappeared back through the curtain.

Road was first, "hey Kimaru, are you smart?"

Said girl turned in the direction of her name, "It depends."

"Can you help me with my homework then?"

"Sure."

Three big textbooks slid across the table towards the brunette and stopped right in front of her, Road hopped onto the table and showed her the pages that needed to be done.

"Also this one, this one and this one, 'kay?" Kimiaru nodded and started once she was handed a pencil, they were relatively easy considering the fact that they were for intended for fourteen-year-olds.

"Done," a satisfied smile made its way to Road's lips as she saw that the work was shown, it wasn't the same number repeating over and over and it was neat.

"Thank you Kimi-chan!" she squealed in delight and kicked her books back to where they previously were, expertly angling them so that they avoided the plates of food on the wood surface.

"Oi," Kimiaru faced the speaker who happened to be right beside her, "what do you represent?"

"Hm?"

Debitto ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "deaf," he muttered under his breath, "I asked what you represent," he received a confused look, "what are you the Noah of you damn idiot?"

Instead of getting a retort - which he expected - he attained a thoughtful look and a little nod, "I'm the Noah of merriment, which basically relates to the things people do that makes them happy." She stood up and leaned over Debitto's chair, "for example: dancing, singing...hurting." The dark-haired twin didn't even expect it, one moment he was listening to a girl babble about stuff he barely cared about, then the next, his chair was pushed forward so that he rammed right into the table.

"Debitto!" the voice of his brother echoed throughout the room. The female Kamelot burst out laughing and Tyki's eyes shone with entertainment, even Lulubell had a ghost of a grin on her face - she turned into a cat and left before anybody could see that she enjoyed the display.

"What the hell?" Debitto screamed.

"Some people find joy in injuring others, I don't - most of the time, but I don't appreciate being insulted either," keeping her leg firmly placed on the back of his chair, she pushed a little harder earning her a number of colorful words. Kimiaru chuckled and let go, she sat back in her seat and smiled at her victim.

"What is wrong with you? First you're shy, then you're all deadly like, and finally you're as happy as can be. Are you going through PMS or something?"

Road's laughter ceased, "you pushed too far Debi."

This time he went flying straight over the table, Debitto's face hit candle holders, candles, a tower of fruit and finally went SMACK-BANG into the dark wall.

"I'm gonna shoot your head off bi-" he was cut off when a shrill "watch out _hiii_!" sounded towards him and he had just enough time to dodge the incoming chair.

_'How the heck can she lift one of those?' _he was quickly snapped out of his thoughts as a certain chicken got caught in the fuming Noah's grasp. All the color drained from his face. He could see Jasdero desperately pleading for his pet to be put down safely, a hysterical Road and a grinning Tyki.

All of a sudden - giggles, a mass of soft giggles exploded from Kimiaru's mouth and she set the chicken into Jasdero's arms, she stretched until a crack reverberated from her right shoulder then sat on the edge of the table since she had used her chair to assault Debitto. The teenager turned her head to face him.

"Ne, that was fun, don't you think?" her voice was so innocent that it was hard to believe what she'd done.

He was beyond confused at the moment, she was so bipolar it was almost unbelievable - the tiny little part of common sense at the back of his brain kept trying to tell him that he had provoked her, but arrogance made him refuse to believe it. He suddenly blinked and noticed that Kimiaru was animatedly talking to Tyki while playing poker with him, cards and hands moved then he heard a shriek of happiness from the teen.

"I won!" Kimiaru screeched.

The loser of the game muttered something which caused the chestnut-haired girl to shrug.

Road shook her head furiously, "it wasn't beginner's luck Tyki!" she bellowed. The two got into an argument, Tyki stating his assumptions calmly and his niece loudly denying them.

It wasn't long before Kimiaru lost interest, her golden eyes searched for something else to do and landed on Jasdero stroking his in-state-of-shock pet. Ever so slowly, she slunk away from the quarreling Noahs and reached the long-haired twin.

"What's wrong with her?"

"It's a 'he' if you must know and he's in a state of shock because of you!" Jasdero turned to glare at the female until he noticed tears brimming in her eyes.

"I-I scared him that bad?" Kimiaru's voice cracked as she spoke, the moisture in her eyes almost spilling over.

"W-w-wait! Don't cry! See, he's feeling better now, he can move _hiii_." Sure enough, the little barnyard animal was running around the table again looking happier than ever.

The brunette shook her head twice and buried it in her hands, a muffled -"I'm a terrible person!"- was heard.

"No, no you're not, please stop crying and look up. Please!"

Debitto slapped a hand to his forehead and sighed at his brother's obliviousness, "she's just pulling your leg Jas, calm down."

Kimiaru's head snapped up, she childishly pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, "you just made everything boring again."

"Now, now calm down everyone," the Earl's cheery voice boomed throughout the room as he re-entered through the curtains, "I have assignments for all of you. Debitto, what are you doing on the floor?"

"Yeah, watcha doin' on the floor Debi?" Kimiaru stared at him right in the eye, a mischievous smile graced her delicate facial features as she leaned forward.

"Well never mind that, Debitto please come back and sit down." The dark-haired twin did as he was told while mumbling profanities under his breath. A card slid to everyone on the table - revealing to each of them the location of a piece of innocence.

"Spain," the brunette stared at her picture.

"We got Spain too _hiii_!" Jasdero's hand shot up with the same country on his card and Debitto just looked from one, to the other, then back at his card which held the same picture.

"Jasdebi and Kimiaru have the same target simply because Kimiaru is new to this whole business and needs to be shown what to do, I would send her off with someone else but generals have been spotted in the areas Road and Tyki are going to," the egg-shaped man explained. "Now where on earth is Lulubell?" He strode out of the room and left everyone else to their thoughts.

Tyki and Road both left a few minutes afterwards.

"Okay listen up," the brunette turned around to see Debitto speaking to her, "you heard the Earl say you have zero experience in tracking down and finding innocence so when we start our mission, you stand by the sidelines and stay out of our way."

Kimiaru nodded and without another word, headed off to her quarters. She would do as she was told until she got bored - that was how she did things - the moment the teenager lost interest in something, she did the exact opposite to keep up her level of mirth.

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**I hope you liked it, please review and tell me if I should continue it.**


	2. An Innocence Stolen

**Okay, so here's chapter two of the fic, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -Man.**

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**_Chapter: 2_**  
**_An Innocence Stolen_**

The trio walked through Carmona in the city of Seville, Spain. As Jasdero "oohed" and "aahed" at the beautiful monuments, Kimiaru window-shopped while occasionally looking out for the source of the "strange occurrences" going on throughout the town.

Every single home, store, monument - everything - faced the North.

"We're going to split up," Debittio declared, "you take the exterior of the town and we'll search the interior. You know the hotel we've lodged in so don't bother trying to find us, we'll be there at about eight. Come on Jas."

The two left the brunette and disappeared into the mass of excited tourists. "What a jackass," the teen huffed and headed towards the outskirts, it was obvious that they expected to find the innocence inside the metropolis and Debitto (still sore about the beating he got yesterday) wanted the newcomer out of their way. As she was walking past one of the monuments, she happened to spot a little girl place her locket on the bench she was sitting on, after a while, the doors of the tourist attraction opened and the little girl - of about six - ran inside, forgetting her necklace.

When Kimiaru reached the more rural area of Carmona, she climbed up a tree and seated herself there, using the leaves as shade. Her delicate fingers dug into her pocket and produced a mini notebook and a pencil, the girl then proceeded to sketch the "Ermita de San Anton" that was in her view; around twenty minutes later, the youngest Noah could hear the voices of four people.

_**"Pedro are you sure?" -**_ A male's voice.

_**"Si, si, I put over...here!" - **_Another male.

_**"Allen-san, Lavi-san he found it." - **_A different male.

_**"Well then, I might as well see it." - **_Male again.

The brunette peeked through the curtain of leaves at her left and saw a black-haired boy - that looked at least two years older than her and who the Noah assumed was Pedro - pick up a black, golf ball shaped magnet from the foot of the tree next to her. He opened his other hand to reveal an identical object and the two stuck to each other. As soon as that happened, everything that faced the North, turned to the original positions they had been in up until a few weeks ago.

A boy with white hair stared at the items in Pedro's hands, "that's definitely innocence."

An amused smile came to Kimiaru as the irony of the situation hit her. Debitto had successfully gotten rid of her but it was pure luck that the innocence actually was in the outskirts of Carmona. She shifted her weight ever so slightly so that she could see the faces of the rest. The teenager's golden eyes found two others - one had red hair and an eye-patch over his right eye while the other had two thirds of his hair black and the remaining part: white.

The red-head spoke next, "so what happens next? Are we going to take Pedro to the Black Order?"

"Wait, don't I have a say in this?" - Pedro.

"Well, we are short on exorcists so we really do need another edition." Allen turned back to Pedro, "it's pretty much a must that you come with us. It's the rule."

The Spanish boy took a step back, "no, I don't want to become an exorcist."

"Come on," Lavi drawled, "it will be fun. Promise."

"Yo no quiero ser una exorcista." (1)

"Pedro, it's not our decision or yours, when someone is compatible to innocence, they must become exorcists," Krory explained.

"No!" he ran into the town and once he disappeared from the group's line of vision, Lavi sighed.

"We'll try and convince him again tomorrow, if that doesn't work then the Order will have to send a few people to take him by force," Allen ran a hand through his hair and started walking towards the center of the town, "come on, let's all get back to the hotel."

Kimiaru deemed it safe to leave her hiding spot after ten minutes, she already had a plan formulated about how to get the innocence. By now it was six thirty p.m. and, checking out her outfit - which consisted of a white halter-neck, black and white plaid shorts and black flats - she decided that it was time to find the new exorcist.

* * *

It was a quarter to seven by the time Kimiaru found him, the boy was sitting at a fountain, tossing and catching the magnets that stuck to each other like glue.

She took a deep breath, bit her tongue so that she could tear up and ran to him, "um, excuse me?"

Pedro's head snapped up to see a crying, brown-haired female calling out to him. The moment his eyes met her golden ones, he felt completely obligated to help her for whatever reason.

"What's wrong?"

"I lost my necklace at the the Plaza de San Fernando but I don't remember how to get there, can you help me?"

It took just another glance at her aureate (2) orbs for him to stand up, pocket his innocence and lead the way to said monument. Kimiaru jogged in order to match Pedro's quick pace, in about twenty minutes, they had reached the - now closed - building.

A frown adorned the brunette's face as she stared up at the bolted door, "my necklace..."

The raven-haired boy scanned the place around him for a good five minutes until his gaze caught a platinum locket resting next to a bench. He made his way over to the object and picked it up, examining the item before handing it over to the distraught girl at his side.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kimiaru looked up at him and let out a smile, "can you help me put it on?"

After a nod, the female gave it to him and turned around as he tried to clip it, a few seconds later, the Noah's hands lifted up to help him, her palms laid gently on his wrists as she maneuvered them to push the clasp and hook it into the chain - a flurry of emotions zapped through him as she touched him. She turned back around and gazed into his eyes, Pedro didn't know the feeling that came over him, he had control over his hormones but as the girl leaned in, instead of pushing her away like he would do to someone he just met, anticipation built up as her face came closer to his.

The moment their lips made contact, he felt a burst of ecstasy and his eyes fluttered closed. Satisfied, Kimiaru slowly let a free hand roam in his pocket, looking for the two magnets and the moment she found them, she picked them up and put them in her pocket. The Noah broke the kiss by stepping back and smiled at the exorcist -the smile evoking the feeling of pure bliss in the male - after that, she turned around and left leaving a dazed Pedro to stare after her.

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It was eight-thirty p.m. and Lulubell - in her cat form - trailed after Kimiaru. The teenage Noah had a red mini shoulder bag with pink hearts and was animatedly skipping through the town, occasionally she would pop in to a store and get a few souvenirs then exit quickly and leave the cashier with an exceptionally huge tip.

She branched into a desserts shop and came back out with two boxes of mantecados (3), by now the streets were scarcely populated so, turning her head up to face the roof of a certain building, Kimiaru smiled and waved with an occupied hand.

"Come down and have a snack Lulubell," the sixteen-year-old called as she found a deserted park, she sat on the grass and waited for the older female.

Lulubell leaped from her spot and gracefully landed in Kimiaru's lap, the teen opened up a box and laid the contents in a paper plate that was provided then set it down for her fellow Noah to eat.

The almond-haired girl waited for Lulubell to finish up before asking her question, "was your assignment to watch over us?"

Transforming back into her human self, she answered, "my mission was just to ensure that the task you were given was completed successfully, the only reason I was following you was to make sure that the innocence was not lost, misplaced or stolen."

Kimiaru nodded, the answer was to be expected since Lulubell had a stone cold personality. It wasn't that she didn't care about anyone, it was just that - for her - the Earl's orders were top priority and she would destroy anyone - exorcist and/or akuma - who was making it difficult for his demands to be carried out.

The young Noah knew that the person sitting next to her had a heart, Jasdero (while Debitto was asleep in the train) had talked about each of the gray-skinned people and explained their personalities and that was where she learned how out of character Lulubell had been when Mimi was destroyed. Kimiaru actually admired the shape-shifter more than she was willing to admit, for one, the twenty-three-year-old was absolutely gorgeous, next, her ability was very helpful and Lulubell knew how to use it so that she always had the upper-hand. Another thing was her attitude towards fighting, she knew when it was necessary to sacrifice akuma so that getting the innocence would be easier and she knew how to pick out her opponents' weaknesses, her strength and intelligence were another thing to envy, and the way she was able to act as a civilian, lure her prey in and annihilate them without getting attached was something Kimiaru wished she could do.

The brunette lay on the grass and stared up at the stars for quite some time before standing, "I better get back to the hotel, Debi's going to bite my head off for sure if I stay any longer." Golden eyes traveled to the watch on her wrist that read "21:17" then back at the black cat that had been a woman just a few seconds ago. The feline made it's way over to a building and hopped onto the ledge of it's window, the animal's eyes watched the teenager prance away from the park.

* * *

Her steps were cautious and quiet, the way she unlocked the door was completely soundless but the moment her palm (slowly) pushed on the wooden surface, it flung open and she was faced with a furious Debitto and a worried Jasdero.

_**'Oh shit!'**_

An hour and five minutes. She had to deal with just five minutes of 'are you okay?', 'did anyone hurt you?', and 'are you sure you're alright?' from Jasdero and one hour of rants, scolding and complaining from Debitto. By now it was 10:32pm and Kimiaru buried her head in her hands as the annoyed, deep voice of the black-haired Noah reached her ears; she was getting bored so she decided to end it.

"Would you just shut the fuck up already? _**You**_ said that you'd be in the hotel at eight, not me. _**You**_ didn't tell me when we were supposed to meet back, so don't start shouting at me for something that isn't even my fault!" She took in a deep breath and a smile suddenly replaced the scowl on her face, she opened the door to the bathroom, waltzed in and shut the door. As soon as he heard the shower being turned on, Debitto faced his brother who was currently eating the mantecados; when he was done, he trashed the plates, took off his jacket, pants and shoes (he left on his boxers) then hopped into bed and fell asleep instantly.

Debi followed suit, he threw off his vest, jacket, pants and shoes, turned off the lights then climbed into the same bed as the sleeping person and tried to get comfortable. A few minutes later, the sound of running water stopped and a shriek of frustration was heard, the dark-haired twin turned his head to meet the sight of Kimiaru peeking through the barely open bathroom door - it seemed as if she didn't spot his eyes when she scanned the dark room so, ever so slowly, she made her way out wrapped in a small towel (provided by the hotel) that was just enough to cover her chest and end right after her lower torso - therefore veiling her private areas. She slunk towards her suitcase carefully, making sure not to crash into anything so that she didn't wake anyone up. Once there, the sixteen-year-old bent down next to her bed and opened the large bag, the sliver of light from the bathroom that seeped in from it's almost-closed door illuminated the female significantly. It added a soft glow to the outline of her wonderfully proportioned body and the only visible feature of her shadowed face (her lips) glistened with the slim coating of water on it, a smile adorned that very organ as her hand retracted from the depth of her suitcase with a sleeping gown.

It's owner quickly shut their luggage and pranced back into the bathroom.

Needless to say, after that unintentional display of perfect curves and skin, Debitto went to sleep a few minutes afterwards - resulting in a highly erotic dream which started off with him pinning his female teammate up against the wall, and her towel slowly slipping off...

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(1) Yo no quiero ser una exorcista: I don't want to be an exorcist.

(2) Aureate: another word for the color gold.

(3) Mantecados: Spanish crumble cakes.

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**_Another Witty Ninja:_** Thank you, and thank you very much for being my first reviewer.

_**HikarinoMitsuki:**_ That's so sweet of you, thank you.

_**AcPa xox:**_ I'm happy you like it, I was looking for fics with OC pairings too but since there aren't too many, I decided to make my own :)

_**darkangelyuna14/Prune-chan:**_ You already love this story? Great! :D Her mood swings all relate to her power, and maybe the fact that she was heavily pampered as a child, therefore, resulting in her being kind of spoilt.

_**story expert mel13: **_Thank you :) Hopefully this chappie was worth the wait.

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**I'll dedicate the next chapter to anyone who figures out Kimiaru's power. I hope you all liked it, please review. Constructive criticism, flames, opinions and ideas are all welcome.**


	3. Realizations

**Well, here's chapter 3. This is dedicated to Abandoned-Insomniac who got Kimiaru's ability right. Also to darkangelyuna14 who understood her ability too. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

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Chapter: 3  
Realizations

"Kimiaru!" A voice whispered. "Kimiaru!"

Said girl whimpered in her sleep, her name kept invading her dreams and - whoever was saying it - was getting louder. When it finally stopped, she relaxed and snuggled deeper into the duvet, the next thing, however, pissed her off even more than the previous attempt to wake her up.

At first it was a soft prod at her hip, then it was a more insistent poke, and finally, it was a painful jab that just kept attacking her ribs. The female grabbed the wrist - that was attached to the finger - that kept trying to dispel her dreamland and bring her back to the real world - it worked, but she wasn't the least bit happy that her sleep-time had been cut short.

Golden, bloodshot orbs (telltale signs of lack of sleep) opened to meet similar gilt eyes - minus the countless veins.

Staring back at her was Jasdero with his head tilted to the side, "it's time to wake up now, we're going out again to look for innocence."

Blinking twice, Kimiaru sat up and stretched, "there's no need for that," she unzipped the suitcase that was at the foot of her bed and brought out the shorts she had worn the day before, her hand retrieved the magnets that were buried in her left pocket and showed them to the blonde Noah, "I have it right here."

He leaned closer and closer to the two objects sitting in her palm before springing back, a large grin found it's way to his sewed lips before he jumped up happily, "yay! That means free-time!" In less than a minute, he shot to his bed and wound the thick bandages around his arms then snatched his gun from the bedside table, he rushed out the door after shouting out that he'd be at the park.

The sixteen-year-old slipped out of bed and scurried over to the bathroom (but not before she got out the clothes she would be wearing - she vowed never to make that mistake again), it never occurred to her that she hadn't seen Debitto, but then again, she was never a morning person so she didn't think to much when she had just woken up.

* * *

Debitto applied the last of his make-up to his right eye then set the container down and capped it. His ears picked up his brother shouting "I'll be at the park!" then a door slamming, he frowned when he realized that his brother never went looking for innocence without him, and that they had searched the entire park yesterday so there was no need to do it again. The only reason that Jasdero would visit a place like that twice would be because they were finished with the assignment and he wanted to play, so Debi was definitely confused with the blonde's behavior.

Sighing, the dark-haired twin wrapped a towel around his waist and proceeded to get out, his hand grasped the handle and opened the door - simultaneously - with Kimiaru.

* * *

The brunette staggered forward because of the force that the door had been flung open, she bumped into something and took a step back - rubbing her forehead. The female's eyes fluttered open and she concluded that, no, she hadn't stumbled into a brick wall, she had, in fact, rammed into Debitto in all his shirtless glory.

Two things registered in her mind at that moment.

#1: Debitto has a killer six pack.

#2: The guy is freakin' sexy!

Debitto, on the other hand, was staring at what she was wearing; the only thing that ran through his mind at the moment was: _**'Aren't those types of things only for show?'**_

__Kimiaru's attire was a light, white, silk, mid-thigh nightgown that was pure lace at the abdomen, rim, sleeves and neckline. The outfit looked like it would rip if it was stretched in, let alone slept in; he decided that since it was still in mint condition after being worn by the brunette (who had a very fitful sleep) then it was much tougher than it looked.

He was the first one to snap out of his daze and an amused smirk formed on his face when he caught her ogling.

"Like what you see?"

The sixteen-year-old broke out of her trance and flushed red and the clothes in her hands fell to the floor, forcing her face to get rid of the blush, she made eye contact with him and crossed her arms over her chest. He was almost a head taller than her which made her have to look up at him (she didn't really mind though) but it was comforting to know that she could still throw him over a table. Honestly though, she didn't know how to reply to that. A simple "no" would have been extremely lame so she settled for silence.

She went behind him and literally kicked him out while telling him that the innocence had been found the day before and was lying on the coffee table.

Once the door was closed and locked, the chestnut-haired girl massaged her temples. Why didn't she just say that - no she did not like what she saw - and be done with it, for some reason, her brain had screamed at her NOT to say those words and after that, it just shut down. She groaned as she recalled what had happened those few seconds she had stared at him: her mouth went dry, her palms began to sweat, she had to fight down a blush (which eventually came out) and her thoughts all went haywire. Her eyes widened as she figured out something - she found Debitto to be, by all means, attractive - even his arrogance was somewhat appealing.

Her words came out in an almost inaudible tone, so much so that if she hadn't been the one to say them then she wouldn't have known what she had said, "I think I have a crush." The next words, however, were not nearly as quiet as the last set when she realized what was missing from her hands, "DAMN IT!"

* * *

Kimiaru twirled the magnets around each other and kept walking towards the "Plaza de San Fernando". Once there, she spotted a blonde child point at a spot on the bench and look at her mother with tears in her green eyes, striding over, the teenage Noah pulled out the necklace she had received yesterday from the pocket of her beige capris and knelt down next to her.

"Is this yours by any chance?"

Glassy forest orbs studied her for a moment before slim fingers took the amulet from her hand.

"I found it over there in those bushes and thought it might belong to you."

"Thank you."

Smiling, she nodded her response and started to make her way to the outskirts of the city.

* * *

Pedro walked down the streets of Carmona with his hands running through his jet-black hair, was he really making the right decision? As he looked at all the crowds, all the people who lived in this city on an every-day basis, he couldn't help but wonder if they would really be safer if he decided to become an exorcist. Would he be able to protect them? What if he didn't come in time? Memories from the evening before flitted into his mind.

* * *

(_Start of flashback_)

_He was in a more rural area of the city, he couldn't think properly when surrounded by all those tourists. The boy supposed he had been a bit over-dramatic when they had told him to join the Order, but what could he say, he was scared. The life of an exorcist was frightening and dangerous, they faced demons day and night, every moment was a matter of life and death - one wrong move would result in the latter. Sighing, Pedro sat down at the marble edge of a fountain he was very fond of when frustrated - the sound of the water falling wa_s _equivalent to a good massage whenever stress started to weigh down on him._

_It wasn't that the boy was afraid of the exorcist life, no, not at all, it was just that he was terrified of the effect it would have on his family. His mother was deathly sick, the doctor said she would recover soon - it was true but she was too weak to do almost anything. His father was off in some other country working a good job so that his family could live comfortably, the only problem with it was that he couldn't visit too often, so Pedro had been the one to take care of his two brothers and one sister, run to the post office and get the check that his dad sent twice a week, pick up provisions from stores, get his siblings to school and run his mom's (successful) store._

_In all honesty, even when his mom did get better, he didn't want to leave his home. Carmona, of Seville, of Spain was his heritage, never once had he left the village or even wondered what was beyond the beautiful monuments from centuries ago. Pedro rubbed his head and groaned, what would happen if akuma came to his town and the exorcist assigned didn't get here in time? What if his family was killed __in the attack, whereas, if he had stayed, he would have been able to protect them?_

_A couple was walking by; the man's hand rose from his side, hesitated, then finally wrapped around the woman's and their fingers intertwined. She giggled shyly and leaned against his shoulder, both unaware of the teen watching them from his spot._

_Yes, these were the people that Pedro wanted to protect, his town would be defenseless against akuma if he left and if a sudden attack were to arise, there was no doubt that countless would get killed. But, he realized, there were many others like the couple that had just passed by him, countless others of different countries and continents that were innocent but vulnerable like the two he passed. If there truly was a lack of exorcists in the Order, then he couldn't be selfish enough to only care about the people in Carmona and leave all the others around the world. Furthermore, he didn't even know how to use his innocence, Allen Walker had explained to him that it destroyed demons, but how could he if he couldn't actually control it._

_He weighed the options out in his head, if he stayed, he would still be useless to his village and could do nothing to save anyone if there was an attack, however, if he went to the Black Order, he would be trained and able to help whoever needed saving from the Earl's demons. He reached into his pocket and caught hold of his innocence, bringing them out, he stared at the two items that were more powerful than they seemed. Each was stuck to the other firmly, but when Pedro threw them in the air, they both detached and floated in mid-air then rocketed back together and emitted a silent green wave. He was definitely surprised but that didn't stop the problem that had now formed._

_How was he supposed to get them down?_

_The boy had quite an arm, whenever baseball was played in his school, he was always picked first, so now, since he had thrown them so high in the air and they were levitating, he was at a loss for what to do. The boy briefly considered climbing the fountain, but one look at the hard, slippery, rough marble that composed the upside-down-umbrella-like fashion made him second guess. Pedro reached for the two magnets without even standing up, and slowly but surely, they found their way to his outstretched hand and just dropped - motionless. He tried it a few more times before just leisurely tossing and catching them, until, of course, a certain brunette entered the picture._

_(End of Flashback)_

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Steeling himself, Pedro nodded, yes, he was making the right decision. He **would** become an exorcist and he **would** help those who needed it, he **would **help the Black Order win the war and he **would** see his family's smiling faces again. With that thought in mind, the teen started to search his town for the exorcists he met the day before.

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**AcPa xox: **Writing a perverted Debi is so much fun =D And it's my pleasure to update for you wonderful readers.

**gothicangel0827: **I'm so happy you like this story and my OC!

**story expert mel13: **Thank you :) I'm happy you liked chapter 2, hopefully you like this one too.

**Abandoned-Insomniac: **I really needed to hear that, I didn't know if I was making the characters' personalities too OOC but you reassured me so thank you. By the way, you got the ability spot on!

**darkangelyuna14/Prune-chan: **I'm happy you liked the chapter :D You got her power right, and in a way she kinda does use it to control people.

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please review.**


	4. A Fight Ensues

**Okay, so here's chapter four. I tried to add the Jasdebi mischievousness in this chapter so hopefully I didn't make them out of character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 4  
A Fight Ensues

"Come on Jasdero, I'm starving!"

"Debitto complains too much hee-hee," and without a care in the world, the blonde continued swinging.

The other twin simply sighed and rubbed his hungry tummy, it hadn't stopped making those damn gurgling sounds and kept sending a heavy ache of pain to emphasize its need for food. "Please? The swings will be here when we get back, do you want your brother to die of starvation?"

"No, but I think those kids over there will take my swings," a manicured finger pointed to where a group of children sat on the grass and watched him impatiently.

"But Jasdero, there is more than one swing here, in fact there are...seven."

"These are my swings, they can't go on my swings."

"Don't worry Dero, if they do, I'll make sure you get them back, okay?"

"Hmm...ok," The more mellow twin stood from the plastic surface and accompanied the other back to the hotel to get some breakfast.

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"That's great! You'll love it at the Black Order, trust me."

"I hope so...Lavi right?"

"Yup."

"Thank you for joining us Pedro-san, you won't regret it."

The Spanish boy smiled in return to Krory's words then glanced over at Allen who had started talking.

"The only thing left to do now is pack your bags and get ready, I'll go call Komui and tell him the mission was successful."

Pedro nodded and ran into the apartment building straight across the street with Lavi and Krory trailing behind him, an hour later - after packing, a heartfelt goodbye from his family members, a phone call to his aunt (who would take Pedro's place as babysitter) and a phone call to his dad - they were all out of the house walking towards Allen who had just come out of a post office.

"Ready?"

"Si."

"Let's go then."

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"See! See! Jasdero told you they would take his swings!" a frantic blonde screamed. His brother frowned and stared at the happy children going to and fro with the plastic contraptions, those beaming, innocent, second-grade kids...had stolen the swings of his twin . Unforgivable!

A feral grin made it's way to Debitto's face as he turned to look at Jasdero, "they took something from you, before we get that something back, we have to make them pay."

"Make them pay hee-hee," a suddenly ecstatic golden-haired Noah brought out a gun from his pocket and gazed at 'his' property, then at the filthy humans contaminating it.

"This is gonna be fun."

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Kimiaru sat in front of a tree with the magnets in her hand, they kept vibrating in her hand as if wanting to push her away and the tickling sensation left her giggling and jumpy. She tossed them once, twice, then twirled them in her hand and repeated the process.

The poor teen was dead bored, and even though the tingling that shot through her spine was somewhat entertaining, she quickly grew tired of it. Deciding it was for the best, the teen moved on to sorting out her issue with Debitto.

_'It's just a crush, we haven't really spent any time together, nor had a decent conversation whatsoever, so it can't be anything more.'_

She frowned after a few more seconds, wasn't thinking about a relationship supposed to take more time than it just had? Weren't there supposed to be "ifs" and "buts" circulating in her head? Wasn't there _**anything**_ that could take away her boredom?

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Lenalee walked out of the train and glanced about her, she had been to Carmona before (when Komui had just joined her in the Order) and, luckily for her, everything was familiar to her - excluding the few new stores that had opened. She remembered all the landmarks and what was next to them, so when Komui had told her that Allen, Krory, Lavi and the new exorcist were going to meet her in the woods next to the Ermita de San Anton (she had just finished a mission in Gelves and had convinced her brother to let her meet up with her friends so that she wouldn't be lonely on the ride back home), she knew exactly where to go.

A smile found its way to her face as she happily skipped towards her meeting place. It had been almost a month without her three boys and she was overjoyed to finally see them and make sure the new exorcist felt comfortable, after all, she knew how hard it was to leave all that you loved to help people you didn't even know. At the rendezvous point, however, the Chinese girl's mirth completely vanished when she saw the infamous gray skin and stigmata.

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Countless pedestrians were knocked to the ground as two speeding twins bolted away from a park in chaos. Each were snickering hysterically and it only increased in volume every time they glanced back at the pandemonium they created, both sported a large grin across their face - almost identical to that of their Noah side.

After running a good distance away from the park, they both collapsed next to a fountain and roared with the laughter they hadn't even bothered to contain. Several minutes later, their guffaws had decreased to mere chuckles until all that was left was a more-than-amused smirk in place.

"Are you sure you want your swings back now Jasdero?"

"The kids can have them _hee-hee_."

"Payback is sweet."

"And slippery, and hot, and sticky."

"Aren't you happy you went to breakfast with me?"

Debitto got a nod in response and relaxed against the cool surface, a chuckle erupted from his mouth when he recalled the events that happened earlier. He wished that he'd recorded it, how wonderful it would have been if he got to watch how the poor children slipped when they were getting off the swings because **somehow** a bunch of ice had appeared there, or how they stumbled away from the fire that had **mysteriously **formed in front of them, or, of course, how they had fallen onto the swings to get away from the flames and a strange green goo had kept them stuck to it. The twins just loved to mess with humans.

"Hey what's going on there?" Jasdero pointed at the destructive tornado that had suddenly materialized.

"I dunno, we might as well go check it out though," and with that, the two casually walked towards the outskirts of Carmona.

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"I told you it was left, but _**no**_, the ever so amazing Pedro Diaz goes straight and gets us all the way to the other side of the town. Me, _**Bookman jr. **_who has amazing memory tries to tell you it's wrong but still you don't listen. Allen, who has a record of getting lost agreed with me and was right! Doesn't that tell you something about your sense of direction? I mean honestly, you were born, raised and lived in Carmona all your life but still you get lost! What's wrong with you?-"

Krory and Allen sighed as Lavi continued his ranting, this had been going on for no less than half an hour and both were tired of it. All of them knew why the normally carefree red-head was screaming: they had dragged him away from a cute girl.

"-Even Komui said 'Allen, remember not to get lost', and he would have succeeded if you had just listened!

"Lavi-san, I think he got the message."

"Eh, but Kuro-chan, he isn't apologizing."

"That's it? All you wanted was an apology?"

"Of course!"

Pedro turned to face the taller male, "I'm sorry."

"Do you think that's enough? You have us wandering around the whole of Carmona and all you have to say for yourself is-"

A hand clamped down on the red-head's mouth as the owner (Krory) assured him that there needn't be more said.

"What's that?" All heads snapped towards the east. A huge twister had abruptly developed and if not for the fact that they were in a quiet area of the town, the others would have missed when Allen had uttered a small, "Lenalee."

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**AcPa xox: **I love writing and reading that type of thing, it always makes me giggle uncontrollably.

**gothicangel0827: **Yay, I was hugged! I'm soooooo thrilled that you love this fic, and it's so very true, Jasdero and Debitto's contradicting personalities are perfect! (Thank you Katsura Hoshino) You said butt hahahahahahahahahahaha (I watched Despicable Me on Saturday and that part almost killed me with the funniness.)

**Prune-chan: **I'm happy you like this chapter. I just thought of Pedro off the top of my head, I was going to try and put half of this chapter in chapter three but I figured that I'd explain what happened before Kimiaru approached him and why he wanted to join the Order. In all honesty, Kimiaru is quite a complicated character and all the drama will come in, in a few chapters.

**Soulless Ghosty: **Your comment made me laugh :D I was just going to make Pedro realize his Innocence was gone when Allen asked for it, but your review made me want to add a bit of humor to the realization, so he's going to discover his Innocence is missing in a different way. A flirty, perverted, obnoxious and annoying Debi makes me smile.

**Another Witty Ninja: **Thank you for the wonderful review _darling, _your comment is really, really sophisticated so honestly, I have no idea how to reply so I'll just try: Arigatou Gozaimasu for your spirit-lifting review =)

**storyexpertmel13: **Thank you, thank you, thank you! And your wait, is over.

**hanachan18: **A new reader, YAY! (Cue fireworks). And by the way, I'm ecstatic that you like the story.

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**Well, I hope you liked it, please leave a review.**


	5. Noah vs Exorcist

**Chapter 5 is here Yay! You guys wanted to see Lenalee against Kimiaru, here you have it. The thing is, since I only watched up till episode 103, I don't really know what Lenalee's new dark boots can do so I put her old ones in here. But in the future fights (the ones she's in) I'll make her be able to upgrade from her old Dark Boots to her Crystal type at will just so that it can be fair. To all my reviewers: I LOVE YOU! Most of your reviews make me laugh and all the rest are just so nice! So thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man  
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Chapter: 5  
Noah vs Exorcist

The crunch of dead leaves alerted the Noah that there was someone/something behind her, she turned around to see a pretty, green-haired girl happily skipping forward. However, as if alerted by her stare, the other female glanced in her direction and the dazzling smile she wore so proudly was imminently replaced by a scowl.

Kimiaru stood, dusted off her black fold-over sweats then lifted part of her dark green camisole so that she could pop the magnets into her back pocket. It was then that the brunette noticed the standard exorcist uniform sitting perfectly the other person's form, and for that, she was oh-so-very thrilled.

"You're a pretty little exorcist, mind telling me what your Innocence is?"

"You'll see soon enough," was the reply she received, "Innocence, activate!"

The chestnut-haired girl smiled when she saw how the boots changed, she had never actually seen Innocence being actuated, so, to her, it was kind of cool.

"Enbu: Kirikaze!" (1)

The gray-skinned teen watched as, with a mere kick of her boots, Lenalee brought forth a destructive tornado that was now heading towards her.

"Let's see, if I try dodging, I'll just get sucked up, whereas if I just stand here - well, that's just plain idiotic," tapping her chin in thought, Kimiaru searched her mind for the best action to take. "I got it!"

In no more than a second, the magnets were whipped out from her pants and thrown straight into the twister that was mere inches from her. There was a flash of green, and suddenly, the cyclone disappeared.

"Innocence counters Innocence." When the smoke cleared, Lenalee was nowhere to be seen and the remaining female searched her surroundings for the other. She avoided a devastating kick by jumping to the side, thus causing an explosion of dirt, dust and grass, again, she moved to the side - barely missing a well aimed kick to the stomach.

_'She's fast.'_

The brunette flipped onto the branch just above her and kept climbing until she had a clear view of the field around her, "where oh where are you?"

"Right here."

Kim grabbed the trunk of the tree and swung herself onto the branch on the other side then jumped down as another kick came from above.

"Ne, you're rather strong."

"I don't need compliments from you."

"I didn't ask you to accept it," Kimiaru supposed that the attitude was to be expected from someone that was to be her enemy but that didn't mean that she liked it, however, forcing herself to ignore the hostility, she noticed Pedro's Innocence at her feet and picked it up. "Looks like I found it again."

"What's that?"

"You should know shouldn't you? Doesn't your Innocence alert you when another is near? I guess not then."

"Drop it," the green-haired girl demanded, she didn't want this mission to be a failure, after all, the Order was in need of a new exorcist, and the fact that they found one who was willing was a feat on its own.

The Noah, on the other hand, wasn't too fond of this girl in front of her telling her what to do. She got the Innocence out of her own hard work and there was no way she'd give it up just because someone told her to.

"If you want these, then you'll just have to try and get them now won't you?"

There was a sudden change in Lenalee's anti-akuma weapon. The green energy that was emitted from them disappeared and were replaced by big circles at the ankles.

_'So they can upgrade, huh.'_

She dropped to floor, thus missing another hit and was just able to evade the roundhouse kick that almost caught her square in the face. Kimiaru cartwheeled backwards and did a back-hand-spring to escape the attack from over-head.

"Onkyou no Tougi: Otokase." (2)

Huffing, the brunette scowled at the speed which the exorcist used to vanish from sight. It was getting quite annoying how they were pretty much playing a game of hide and seek, maybe now that her Innocence had gotten stronger - they could have a real fight.

A round-off followed by a side-step was how the almond-haired girl eluded a kick to the jaw a direct assault to her abdomen. One tree's trunk was shattered by the strike it had received when Lenalee had aimed for Kimiaru's knee-cap, and another was torn down when she had missed the Noah's head.

After a front-walkover had made Lenalee's attack futile, she finally landed one right on the shoulder of the gray-skinned girl - which sent said female soaring backwards. The injured sixteen-year-old sat up and rubbed her (now dislocated) scapula, she massaged the area for a few seconds before simply snapping it back into place, she stood up and tested her arm before looking forward.

The green-haired girl was standing at the ready, just two metres from the ever so calm chocolate-haired teenager.

"If we keep this up then I'll probably break a bone, don't you think?" Kimiaru placed a finger on her - glossed over - bottom lip and beamed at the person in front of her. "I'm so happy you came along though, if you hadn't, I'd probably have been forced to destroy the Innocence since I had nothing else to do, but what fun would that be once it's all over?"

Lenalee tensed, she needed to get the magnets away from the Noah that held them captive. She was definitely faster since she had upgraded her boots to the second level, and it was a relief that she had been able to land a hit on the brunette, but she knew it hadn't affected her that much. It might have if she knew that she would have been able to hit her. The female in front of her had dodged all her attacks effortlessly and so she had simply thought that she'd move out of the way of the next one and hadn't put too much force in it.

"It's dangerous to space out when facing an opponent," and it was true, by the time the sentence was over, both were less than a centimeter apart and that was truly unnerving. Before the jade-haired sixteen-year-old could move, the other had clamped her hand down on her wrists and run a manicured finger-nail across her cheek - therefore creating in a long thin gash.

"Blood is such a pretty red color, don't you think?"

A sudden burst of fury filled the exorcist, she didn't think she'd be too affected by the words the Noah had said, but this sudden anger had her sending a fierce attack towards the brunette.

Kimiaru kept the grin off her face as she watched the surprised expression of her foe change to pure, unadulterated rage. Her theory was: if her opposition was angry, then he or she would fight harder. Of course there was the possibility that Lenalee's hatred would get her to make strong but nonstrategic strikes, but the gray-skinned female didn't really give a damn.

She ducked out of the way of the first attack then immediately had to drop to the floor to avoid the second. A split second afterwards, she was rolling to the left, and moments later, the girl was up and running - in a zig-zag manner - to evade the onslaught of blows coming her way.

However, when Lenalee made a deft kick towards her enemy's neck, it changed everything.

The brunette only managed to escape the path of the exorcist's boots - simply because she tripped on the root of a tree.

She sat up slowly and rubbed the heels of her palms before looking up to meet the angry gaze of green-haired-girl, her foot was already in the position to strike, and Kim would have moved if her eyes hadn't found the long strand of almond-colored hair on the floor.

"Matte...is this mine?" The stigmata wearer was sent through the tree that had caused her fall - she really should take her own advice.

The pain in her back didn't even register in her mind as she determined that, yes, this strand of chocolaty brown did indeed come from her silky locks.

In the bat of an eye, Kimiaru's left hand was clenched around the other sixteen-year-old's neck, squeezing as if her life depended on it. Lenalee's prior rage had disappeared completely as she tried to pry away the palm that held her throat in an iron grip. The nonchalance that was painted over her captor's face was truly frightening, when the female species is indifferent when something precious of their's has been harmed, they enter: Vengeance Mode. The meaning is simple, they do what was done to them, except they add interest on to the deed.

"It took me sixteen years to grow out my hair," the brunette spoke with an air of childish indifference, her voice was light but, as she was a girl herself, the exorcist knew that there was a lot more to that honey-dipped tone than what was let on, "sixteen years is a long time, don't you think? Especially when I had to go through the trouble of retouching it, conditioning it, drying it, combing, brushing and styling it, you know what I'm saying right? I mean, you have long hair too so you must understand right?" the hold on the emerald-haired teenager tightened considerably and she was almost sure that, if a little more pressure was applied, the hand would break all the bones in her neck. Kimiaru tilted her head to the side as if contemplating what to do next, in a flash, her hand had darted forward then backwards again and Lenalee had felt a painful prick in her scalp for a few seconds.

"You'd better get out of my hold quickly, your time is almost up." The choking sixteen-year-old already knew that, her lungs were screaming for air and her head was hurting like crazy, she coughed twice before aiming an attack to the shin of the person in front of her - said person let go of the other before she had a chance to land a kick on her exposed foreleg.

The green-headed girl jumped back about ten feet before leaning against a tall stump and massaging her gullet, there was no doubt that bruises were going to appear there tomorrow, but at the moment, she had bigger things to worry about. She hadn't meant to slice off her opposition's hair - not at all; the sudden surge of fury she had felt had made her body act on its own and cutting off the other teen's hair was just the outcome of it. Something suddenly dawned on the purple-eyed girl, how dare that prissy, brown-haired hussy get mad at her, her and her family were the ones who wanted to end mankind so she had no right to get upset over something as stupid as hair. Time to get sassy.

"I don't even know why you're complaining, your hair was an eyesore, and by the way-" the exorcist's next words died in her mouth when she looked up and saw what was carelessly dangling from the brunette's fingers: a velvety, long, thick emerald-colored tress. The Noah's eyes were wide with surprise at the other's audacity, but after a moment, filled with malevolence - the same could be said for her opponent. The next word was said simultaneously by both.

"Bitch!"

And all hell broke loose.

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**(1) Enbu**: **Kirikaze = Waltz: Misty-Wind**

**(2) Onkyou no Tougi: Otokase = Stepping Skill of Sound: Sound Shackles**

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**ShikiRima4eva-doublesided: **Thank you very much, your opinion means a lot to me.

**AcPa xox: **Lavi is so predictable isn't he :D

**Shoryaku no Neko: **It is just like them to traumatize children isn't it! xD I'm happy you think they're in character. Bathroom grief and a perverted Debi is a wonderful thing isn't it ;)

**story expert mel13: **Thank you, and once again, your wait is over =]

**Soulless Ghosty: **You guessed right, the two did meet up. The thing is, Kimiaru is a new Noah so she can't immediately be kickass, that's why she had to go with Jasdebi, so that they can protect her. But her ability will develop and she'll get a weapon since every other Noah has one. (Tyki - Tease, Road = Candles, Jasdebi = Guns, Lulu Bell = Whip (Sort of) and The Earl = Lero/Sword) Killing isn't really my thing, unless completely necessary, but torturing, now that's something I love to write :D O mee gosh Jasdebi and Lavi are the same! It's so true!

**Another Witty Ninja: **I'm glad you like the pace, I didn't want things to happen too slow or too fast so it's a relief that you're satisfied with it. It's all Kimiaru this chapter so I hope you like it, don't worry, this one wasn't too sophisticated (thank you so much!) so I could give a reasonable reply. Ja ne!

**gothicangel0827: **Did that mean I left you speechless O.O HOORAY! *Glomps you*

**HikarinoMitsuki: **Thank you, and you've got more =D

**Prune-chan: **Meh, I don't mind the late review, I know how frustrating it is without Internet. I'm happy you liked this chapter, and there's more Kimiaru and Lenalee in the next.

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**Okay then, in either chapter six or seven, you'll see why Kimiaru avoids getting too upset. If you're really good at interpreting this story then you might be able to tell by the next chapter, I wouldn't expect anyone to though, I know I wouldn't. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review :D  
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	6. Catfight!

**Chapter six is here! More of Kimiaru and Lenalee's fight, Pedro finds out he doesn't have his Innocence and Jasdebi finally gets to the battle-scene. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

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Chapter: 6  
Cat-fight!

Jasdero and Debitto neared the outskirts of the the town, the tornado they had seen had long since disappeared and were replaced by various mini explosions.

"Hurry up Debi, hee-hee, I think Kimiaru is fighting."

"I know, I know, calm down. Who do you think she's fighting against?"

"Who cares, I just want to see what she can do."

"Do you think she made the whirlwind?"

"I dunno."

A certain colorful word that was chorused by two females echoed throughout the entire forest - catching the twins' attention. Jasdero giggled at the term that could also be used to describe a female dog, both brothers grinned at each other and rushed forward to see what the commotion was about. A few minutes later, they emerged in a clearing and the image that met their eyes made their jaws drop.

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"Let go!"

"L-Lavi-san, please stop struggling."

"No!"

After one final tug, Allen, Krory, and Pedro managed to pull Lavi away from the light post he had been desperately clinging to. As he was being hauled away, he managed to say - in a last attempt to score some points with the girl he had been flirting with - "WE ARE SOUL-MATES! THEY'RE ALL JUST JEALOUS, WE WILL REUNITE ONCE AGAIN. IT IS OUR DESTINY!"

The auburn haired girl turned a bright shade of scarlet, and in no time at all, she had sped down the street and into her home. The experience she had just been involved in would make an amazing e-mail.

In the meantime, a sobbing red-head was led away from the scene while clawing at the pavement in an effort to stop himself from moving.

"Lavi come on! That tornado came from Lenalee, she could be in trouble!"

"Lenalee's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"Well, yeah but what if the person is stronger than her?"

"Aww, moyashi loves Lenalee," the eighteen-year-old's previous reluctance had now faded into an evil playfulness, the glint in his one visible eye was enough proof of that. He wrenched his way out of the grip on his feet and walked in line with the other three.

"N-No I don't, and stop calling me moyashi!"

"Are you sure you don't love her Allen?" the Spanish boy teased.

"I have just found new respect for you Pedro." (Lavi)

"Yes I'm sure!"

A sadistic smile crept onto the future Bookman's face, "that means you think Lenalee's weak."

"Of course not."

"Then I believe that means you love her Allen-kun," Krory declared - innocently by the way.

Said boy flushed, "I don't!"

"Aha!" Lavi exclaimed, he then shot towards the battlefield after calling out: "I'm telling Lenalee you called her weak!"

The milk-haired exorcist paled to an unhealthy shade of white and shuddered before rocketing after the teammate that wanted to get a certain girl to end his life.

"I have no bearings of this town and it is obvious that your sense of direction is hopeless, we must catch up with those two if we don't want to be stranded."

Pedro stared at Krory and blinked. Twice. Was he just insulted by a vampire?

"NO LAVI, NOOO!"

The raven-haired boy turned back to look at the two comrades, one trying to get the other killed and the other trying to catch him.

"Pedro-san, I believe we should follow them."

"We should shouldn't we." And with that, both took off.

Each of them arrived at the war-zone at the same time (mainly because Allen was able to subdue Lavi a few times - but for no more than mere seconds) and Lavi was able to get out a "LENALEE!" Before Allen's palm slapped down on his mouth.

"No Lenalee don't listen to him, don't-" Allen gaped. Lavi gaped. Pedro gaped. Krory gaped. Everybody was in a state of shock.

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Before the strand of green hit the ground, Kimiaru and Lenalee had already lunged at each other. The impact had the both of them tumbling to the ground but that didn't hinder their locked gazes, just a moment after they had fallen, the two were up and about assaulting each other at a break-neck speed. The Asian launched a boot towards the Noah's chest which was quickly evaded, her next strike was towards the brunette's stomach, which was successful, but provided an opening through which said brunette was able to grab the foot that had hit her abdomen, and twist it painfully. She was about to continue but noticed the lifting of the Chinese girl's hand and immediately let go to avoid the fist.

Lenalee rubbed her ankle a few times with her eyes still glued to her opponent, her other leg quickly shot out and she did a pirouette, thus creating her signature tornado. It was too close for the chestnut-haired-girl to counterattack again so she had a mere fraction of a second to decide what to do, however, the fact that she was pissed off beyond belief made that possibility impossible. Her enhanced anger was actually what saved her. The pure rage she felt was concentrated by her endowment into a force-field that was able to shield her against the cyclone.

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The green-haired-girl strained to see the effect of her Innocence on the Noah inside it. Suddenly, a multi-colored blur sprang out and crouched before her, it took a moment for her to realize that it was the opposition, but in that split second, a foot had lashed out and connected with her jaw, sending her stumbling backwards. Lenalee stood and winced when the movement affected her maxilla, there were probably a few cracks in the bone but what disturbed the exorcist the most was the fact that, just prior to having her chin kicked, her whole face had felt a smothering pressure and she couldn't breathe for those few milliseconds.

A trail of blood seeped out of her closed lips and the Asian realized that the force of the assault had caused her to bite her tongue - very hard. She wiped away the red liquid and studied her opponent more closely, said opponent was standing upright with an air of indifference - she didn't need to show her displeasure through her facial expression, no, they were clearly exposed in her sharp golden eyes. There was no doubt that the Chinese girl was still angry, no doubt at all, but the sheer hatred that burned in the other female's eyes didn't seem genuine. There was definitely some authentic chagrin from the gray-skinned sixteen-year-old, but not all of it was hers. It was as if there was something strengthening her emotions, and the exorcist knew fully well that emotions themselves were truly strong. They were what had kept her alive during her battle with the level three, they were what helped Miranda keep up her "Time Out" when they were fighting against Road, they were what made Allen's synchronization surpass one hundred percent in the Noah's Ark, and they're what keeps all the exorcists fighting against the Earl.

"Spacing out again? Do you want another piece of your dry, ugly, dirty and tangled green mess that you call **hair **snipped off?"

Lenalee's mind drew a blank - did she just...?  
**  
**_**OH, HELL NO!**_

In a matter of seconds, both were rolling on the ground, occasionally one would manage to pause the tumble while on top and try to land a punch, but it was always blocked - so they moved on to the next best thing. None registered the footsteps that were approaching their battlefield, nor did they hear the next batch of footsteps that sounded out - not the shout of a certain person's name was heard, or the screaming of another and the gasps that ended the rants. All the two could concentrate on was themselves and the fastest way to pull the other's hair out.

Both had their hands latched onto their adversary's hair but neither had gotten a single strand out. There was pulling and tugging and plucking and yanking, then when that didn't seem to work - clawing and scratching; at one point in time, Kimi  
ended up on top, she held Lenalee's wrists in one hand, drew back the other and aimed a fist square at her nose. The ivy-haired-girl was able to slip her feet under the Noah's belly and push her off - it sort of worked. Since the golden-eyed female was holding onto the beginning of her palms, once she was pushed off, she was suspended in the air by the exorcist's boots and decided to flip over - thus landing behind Lenaleee with her back facing her.

The brunette let go of her arms and turned around to face her, a round-house kick was sent her way but she ducked then aimed one at the other's shin. Said "other" jumped backwards then came at her again with a series of kicks that were all blocked, and her, herself had to defend her body from a multitude of attacks - both high and low. The Chinese sixteen-year-old then had to scurry backwards to avoid a barrage of punches towards her head, after that, she assaulted the other with her boots for a period of time before having one grabbed, this time however, the Asian had grasped the forearm of the other girl and both just stayed like that. One leg in one hand, one forearm in one palm.

For minutes they just stared at each other, neither moving or saying a word, when one clenched their hostage body part tighter, the other did the same. Suddenly, Kimiaru just dropped to the floor, bringing the other girl with her and let one of her feet land a solid kick on the Lenalee's abdomen, she then shoved her off as rebuttal for what the exorcist tried to do before.

The purple-eyed girl clutched her stomach and slowly rose but the brunette took a step back.

_'Calm yourself, now!'_

_**'Now why would you want to do that? Keep going, get more enraged, get furious! Let me out!'**_

___'CALM DOWN!' _The chestnut-haired girl took a deep breath and let it out slowly, she did the same thing twice, and once her rage died down, she sighed quietly.

Kimiaru felt something under her foot and picked it up, there, staring right back at her, were the magnets.

"Hey Pedro, aren't those yours?" The attention of both female's went from the Innocence - towards the red-head's voice.

"It can't be, I had them yester-" a low gasp emitted from his mouth when he saw the face of the person holding it, "...you."

"Pedro-san, are you okay?"

"Y-you're a N-Noah."

The severity of the situation hit everyone like a ton of bricks, they had all forgotten how dangerous one could be since they had just watched a very entertaining cat fight containing one, but the fact that the Spanish boy shook when meeting one - just because of how they explained it to him - made them all remember that this wasn't just some T.V. show.

Lavi, of course, was the one who ruined the grim mood, "PEDRO YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION! Is that, or is that not your Innocence?"

"I think it is."

"And how did she get it exactly?"

The raven-haired boy searched his memories for the answer and his eyes widened when he got it, "...when she kissed me."

His comrades blinked, once, twice then a third time just for emphasis. "Excuse me?" (Allen/Lavi/Krory)

"A day ago, she asked me to take her to one of the monuments while claiming that she lost her necklace, and mind you, she had normal skin by then, but anyway, she seemed so sad so I did. When we were there, the place was closed and she almost started crying so I looked around and found it, I helped her put it on then, that's when she kissed me - I guess she took it when my eyes were closed."

Lavi nodded before looking over at Pedro and smacking the back of his head. A yelp of surprise passed the European's lips as the hand met his skull.

"What was that for?"

"For losing your INNOCENCE!"

Allen eyed him before shaking his head disapprovingly, he only had one thing to say, "man-whore."

"You are quite right Allen-san."

A thump alerted them back to the golden-eyed girl and all were confused to see her on her knees - hyperventilating, the magnets were grasped tightly in one hand but the other was placed where her heart was and tightened against her shirt. Her eyes were closed tightly and her hands were shaking. The exorcists were at a loss of what to do, should they just go up to her and take back the Innocence?

"Red bomb!" They all looked up to see twins in the air, two red bullets joined together to form a massive fireball which they had to evade. Jasdero picked Kimiaru up before firing another shot with Debitto at the Chinese girl and running to Road who had just appeared and opened her door.

"Clown Belt!" Just before the Noah's completely disappeared through the portal, they were able to catch a glimpse of a completely mortified Allen Walker and something shooting at top speed towards them. The white belt was a nanosecond too late.

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**Another Witty Ninja: I've always wanted to do a chapter concerning hair, they're so fun to write!**

**story expert mel13: Thank you!**

**Soulless Ghosty: Haha! She didn't think so did she xD I'm happy you find this story funny.**

**AcPa xox: It's pretty much the way to get any girl angry, doesn't matter whether they're based on Merriment or not =D**

**ShikiRima4eva-doublesided: Ooh, you hate her that much? I'm glad you liked the previous chapter.**

**Shikyoku No Neko: Looks like I didn't fail at being unpredictable ;D Lol, the apocalypse would have been an understatement if they hadn't grabbed on to each other. Well, they tried to pull each other's hair out - didn't work - but they both left the battlefield with a good amount of scratches and finger-nail marks xD**

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**So how'd you like the chappie? Just a question, Krory is really formal and stuff but does he call Allen: Allen-san or Allen-kun? Oh yeah, and you know what I said about seeing why Kimiaru avoids getting upset in the next chapter? Change of plans, it's actually chapter eight where you'll see. Sorry for the confusion, review please!  
**


	7. New Information

**Chapter seven! Okay, so I didn't want to take Pedro out of the story already so you'll find out something about his Innocence ;D This chapter is a bit more serious than the rest, there might be snippets of humor in it but that's probably towards the end. I hope you enjoy and thank you to all the wonderful reviewers, favouriters and alerters. And of course, readers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

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**Chapter: 7**

**New Information**

Pedro and the rest stared at the spot where they had last seen the brunette Noah, the Innocence was gone and no one knew what to say. Even Lavi couldn't lift the spirits of his comrades, another fragment was lost to the Earl and another exorcist was no more - or so they thought.

"We should go and tell your family that you're staying," Allen suggested, his mouth was set in a straight line and all could see the disappointment in his gray eyes. Lavi and Krory had gone over to see if Lenalee was okay, to which she had refused their help and rushed over to see if the white-haired male and the Spanish boy were doing fine - Pedro seemed to be quite confused actually.

"Hey," all attention turned to him, "how is it supposed to feel when you lose your Innocence? I mean, you guys probably don't have any experience since you guys have yours but-"

"It feels like a piece of you is missing, once it accepts you as a host, it's almost as if it becomes a part of you - being a parasitic type or equipment type doesn't change that fact," Allen finished while staring at his left arm - he remembered the feeling of desperation as he watched Tyki Mikk crush the fragment that was in his hand, and even though the poker-playing Noah had dismembered the limb prior to the events that had taken place, once his Innocence was reduced to dust, Allen had felt an uncomfortable, agonizing numbness overtake the pain that had surfaced where a certain appendage had been ripped off.

Lenalee glanced at her boots, she had decided not to switch the attire she wore on her feet because she was already so used to the heel. The bangles on her ankles dangled as she spread her legs slightly apart, sure she hadn't lost her Innocence, but she knew the feeling of not being able to use it. She knew the distress of thinking that you have failed it with your incapability of annihilating the foe that you were born to exterminate, the uncertainty of whether you could or could not protect all that you cared for, and of course, the belief that it has rejected you for your weakness.

"Well, I haven't had my Innocence for long so does it really count for me?"

The Asian nodded as she recalled the tears that Mei Ling (1) had shed when her Innocence was destroyed.

"Then why don't I feel...upset or something?"

"Maybe it hasn't been demolish-"

"It wasn't your only Innocence." All attention was now directed at Lavi.

"What?" (Allen)

"It wasn't his only one," The red-head repeated, he closed his eye when he surveyed the complete and utter confusion on the faces of his comrades and proceeded to explain. "Think about it, it doesn't mean that they're two separate Innocences, they're probably just different parts. Pedro, in that locket of yours, what are the holes in it for?"

The ebony-haired male gazed at what was around his neck, it was simply an oval-shaped pendulum - the chain was of pure white gold and the face itself was silver. There were two round apertures, about the size of a jelly bean in the baseball-sized pendulum.

"They were for-"

"You know what?" Lavi interrupted. "Start from the beginning, why and when did you drop those magnets on either side of the town - and don't leave out any details."

Pedro thought for some time before he began speaking, "Okay, so this was given to me by my grandpa and he said to always keep it with me - it was kind of like the ones that he carried around. He's from my mother's side - who is originally British - but he went to Germany, met and married my grandma there. She died when she gave birth to my mom so I didn't really know her. Anyway, my grandpa used to travel a lot, sometimes he'd leave so suddenly that it was like he was never there and none of us knew why, but I think I do now. He wore the same uniform as you guys except the stuff that's silver on yours, was gold on his - so I guess he was an exorcist. Do any of you know someone by the name of Kevin Yeegar?"

Lenalee and Allen tensed, the late Kevin Yeegar had a grandson? It was hard to comprehend considering the fact that he was always up and about on missions. But how were they supposed to tell him that his kind, compassionate grandfather was killed?

"You're getting off topic, Pedro-san."

"Yeah, you're right. So as I was saying, he gave me the pendulum, and at the time, it had those magnets in them. I got them when I was nine and had, had them ever since - but a few weeks ago, they started acting weird. Whenever I was bored, I took it off and swung it around and around, sometimes I would just aim it at something and whip it towards the object then pull it back just before it hit it, what happened was that when I pulled it back, the magnets would somehow disconnect from it and shoot towards the item then stop suddenly. They would suspend in mid-air for a few seconds, then stick to each other and let out the green wave which would knock down all the things around it - just like...like..."

"Like shock-waves?" Lenalee suggested.

"Exactly! It kind of freaked me out at first but then it became kind of cool - a hobby. Three days afterwards, my sister was being a brat so I said that I could do a magic trick to make her shut up - since she was bawling like a baby. Reason being that her supermodel crush actually had a girlfriend. Some fourteen-year-old she is. Anyway, I took her outside and told her that I could hypnotize her, but Alisha, being the annoyance she is, denied it completely and wouldn't even try it out; at the time, my mom was sleeping and I didn't want my sis to start crying all over again in case it woke her up, so I said that if she didn't let me 'hypnotize' her, I'd hide all the sugar cookies. Now, Alisha is practically in love with those stupid things so she agreed. I knew I couldn't hypnotize her but I didn't want my mom t wake up, I took off my pendulum and started swinging it from side to side, and suddenly, it was as if she turned into a robot! Her head and eyes followed the direction of the pendulum almost mechanically, so I stopped and she just froze. The magnets popped out again and did the whole: stick-to-each-other-and-send-out-green-shockwave-thing. It sent her flying backwards and she fell into one of the rose bushes in the garden, it seemed to snap her out of her daze because she started crying again but I was in total shock. She ran inside, and soon enough, my brothers were yelling at me to tell them what I did and why. I got in really big trouble when my mom heard about it."

Pedro sighed and rubbed his aching neck then continued.

"I was scared, I couldn't believe I hurt my **sister. **Even if she's so damn annoying, she's still my sister and I didn't want that to happen again so I decided to get rid of them - the magnets I mean. That's how they ended up on either side of the town."

"So that means your pendulum is your Innocence too," Lenalee paused then frowned, "but what happens if your magnets are destroyed, won't this one be too?"

"I don't think so." (Allen) "When Tyki crushed mine, it turned into a mist but didn't disappear. It might be because it filled the hole a tease ate in my heart, which leads to the possibility that it stayed there because a part of it was missing and it has to be together to be completely destroyed. So if you ask me, Pedro, your pendulum is safe and sound at the moment, but we have to find a way to get the magnets back."

"You can still be an exorcist, though," Lavi interjected, "but the only thing you'll be able to do - based on your sister's results - is freeze akuma since the magnets were your offensive Innocence."

"Pedro-san, Lavi-san, Lenalee-san, Allen-san, I believe we should start heading to the Order."

"We should, shouldn't we."

* * *

"Shame on you _Lero, _you were told to watch over Kimiaru-tama and you failed _Lero,_ what do you have to say for your_-" _the pumpkin-headed parasol's speech was cut short when he took on the activity of dodging the various, small metal spheres that were speeding towards him.

"Oi, stop shooting in my portal, now!"

The tirade of bullets ended and the teen that had fired them had his arms crossed against his chest, "stupid umbrella."

"Ne, you guys are in big trouble," Road sighed and massaged her neck. She had, had a nasty fall in her room this morning, and worse still, a migraine was etched into her forehead and wouldn't leave - and now she had to deal with this? What a day. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Jasdero fingering the sixteen-year-old's hair with the hand that was holding the back of her head, she also caught a glimpse of Debitto scowling deeply - due to the prospect of getting another lecture about caring for his comrades from the Earl, and a smirk from Tyki as he watched the whole show with unadulterated amusement.

His brother, on the other hand, had the attention span of a two-year-old and wouldn't have to suffer through the speech because he'd keep himself occupied with the light hanging from his head. "Milleni" - as Road liked to call him - had given up on trying to get the blonde to listen to him for more than half a minute, so Debi had to not only listen to the excruciatingly detailed pep talk, he also had to explain it to his brother afterwards in less than thirty seconds. The poor, poor boy.

_**'At least father's gonna be here.'**_ The thought itself brought a smile to the lips of the eldest Noah as she thought about the presents that he would undoubtedly have for her.

"We're here!" she chanted as she bolted out of the door that appeared in front of her.

* * *

"Just think about it."

"No!"

"Come on!"

"No!"

"But it would be perfect, Road and her could have play-dates together."

"For the last time Cyril, I'm not going to kill her father so that I can marry her mother and become her dad."

"Why not?"

"Because. I. Don't. Want. To."

"But-"

"Please shut up dear brother, you haven't even met her and you're telling me that I should adopt her? No."

"But _-"_ the blue-haired man was cut off when a lethal glare was sent his way.

Just seconds before Cyril started to try and convince the Portuguese male again, Road's door formed in front of them - much to the twenty-six-year-old's relief.

Bounding out first was the owner of the door herself, she flew right into the arms of her otou-san and was swung around before being set down on the ground.

"My dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine chichi." (2)

"Where is my new niece?"

"She isn't your niece because I'm not her father!" (Tyki)

"Aah, denial, it's such a terrible thing don't you agree sweetheart?"

_'Is he addressing me?'_ The female Kamelot blinked once, twice, looked from her dad to her uncle, back again, then eyed her empty-handed parent.

"_**Daddy!**_ Where are my _**presents!**__" _she whined, a pout was displayed on her face and said "daddy" had to use all of his willpower to avoid a volcanic nosebleed.

"Don't worry musume (3), they're in your room, I didn't forget."

Slowly, the figures of Lero, Jasdero and Debitto emerged from the portal - the dark-haired twin grasping the umbrella's face in his palm while the other carried a teenage brunette in his arms.

"Aww, is that cutie pie my-" he paused as he saw the small shards of bark embedded in a certain someone's back, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NIECE?"

"She's not your niece damnit!"

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**(1) Mei Ling: She was only in the anime but she's the girl that had a crystal ball as her Innocence and Lulu Bell destroyed it.**

**(2) Chichi: What someone calls their own father.**

**(3) Musume: Daughter.**

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**Shikyoku No Neko: **I wanted Lavi to have the "Strike" thing but I was kinda rushing and I figured he'd be too much in shock to actually do that. I mean, who wouldn't be when sweet little Lenalee is rolling around trying to pull another girl's hair out? xD Thank you! I was always so confused with Krory's honorifics. The next chapter will have something a little bit like the bathroom scene but not completely akin to it. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

**AcPa xox: **Thank you! I was just hoping that it wasn't too detailed up until the fact that it got boring so you reassured me! :D

**story expert mel13: **Cat-fights are nice aren't they =]

**Another Witty Ninja: **The twins do, do everything together, but I'm gonna find a way to change that.

**ShikiRima4eva-doublesided**: I couldn't kill her, she has to be in another chapter! They will definitely fall in love, I will make sure of it.

**Soulless Ghosty: **Ah yes, Pedro's idiotic-ness destroyed any sympathy that someone may feel towards him. Stupid, stupid Pedro xD Hehe, Allen's vocabulary must have come from being around General Cross too much :D

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**Okay then, next chapter has a little but of flirting from Debitto ;) Review!**


	8. After  effects

**Chapter eight is here. Is this story becoming boring to anyone? My reviews have decreased and it's kinda discouraging, the first chapter was five which was wonderful for me. Same with the second chapter. Third chapter**** was seven - I wanted to scream for joy**** and then at four, it suddenly jumped to nine, you have no idea how happy I was. At the fifth chapter, it dropped to six which was fine with me, same with chapter six, but then the last chapter I posted which was seven - it plummeted down to one. **

**I really work hard on these so please, please review.**

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Chapter: 8  
After-effects

She was suffocating. The room was on fire and there she was huddled against her bed, her head leaning against the post.  
The blaze in her room was a deep scarlet, no mix of orange or yellow at all, just a bloody crimson - but the torch that created the flame only had a small, flickering flame that looked like it would die out any second. The conflagration increased in size when it was joined by a purple bonfire that spurted from the left; the brunette winced as it caught onto the wall and traveled on to the ceiling.

Kimiaru, herself, was in complete and utter chaos, her head was pounding, she felt dizzy and nauseous, as said before, she could barely breathe and her whole body ached like crazy. It was hard enough to think when she was practically trapped in a multi-colored wildfire, but due to all the other problems, it was almost impossible, however, she knew she had to ignore all of the complications she was facing and concentrate.

_**'Something positive, anything positive. Think, think.'**_

__She did as she was told. Her mind wandered to what she had in her life.

1.) She had her life.

2.) She had two families now.

3.) She had two homes.

But after that, nothing else could come to her mind, and even though the source of the violet flames had died down to a safe level, the fire it had created was still wreaking havoc along with the red blaze.

_**'You yanked off a good length of the purple-eyed bitch's green hair.'**_

__The suffocating pressure she felt had abruptly disappeared and she let out a small, raspy laugh at what the voice said. It suddenly felt like it was raining, golden water was spraying from somewhere inside the fire and was slowly eliminating it.

_**'You successfully retrieved your first fragment of Innocence.'**_

__The sparkling gilt liquid was shooting out with more force than before and the inferno that she was encased in was steadily turning to steam.

_**'And let's not forget what you did to that dumb-ass that dumped your best friend in eighth grade."**_

__At that, Kimiaru let a malicious grin take over her face.

_**'Now think about how proud your mother was when you made it on to the "High Honor Roll".'**_

__That was all it took for the room to be engulfed in a sea of honey-colored water, a few seconds later, it drained away and the place looked completely different.

The flames had disappeared completely except for seven. Each were of a specific color and were held in torches attached to the lavender wall. There was: brown, dark purple, light blue, green, red, orange, and a certain black that cast an eerie glow. On every one of the wooden holders was an engraved word, they differed from torch to torch, each having a different emotion written on it. Brown = Admiration. Dark purple = Terror. Light blue = Amazement. Green = Grief. Red = Rage. Orange = Vigilance. Black = Loathing.

Burn marks were littered across the walls and ceiling, there were three that were especially big and were above the green, dark purple and red torch. In the middle of the bedroom was a huge, sparkling fountain that spurted golden water every few minutes, the sound of it splashing around was relatively soothing to the teen's ears and got her feeling sleepy.

_'It's so annoying being the Noah of Merriment, how on earth am I supposed to stay happy forever? I'm a teenager for crying out loud, it's impossible!'_

_**'The after-effects do suck, but it's not too bad. Anyway, it's time for you to wake up, close your eyes already!'**_

___'Mm, I guess.' _

_**'Take care.' **_Was all she heard before drifting off.

* * *

"-have you understood?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Run along now."

Debitto turned away from the speaker and stalked out of the lounge, it was clear the Earl wasn't happy that one of his family members was hurt, but nevertheless, they had gotten the Innocence and that was why he had only gotten a lecture and not a more severe punishment.

The real thing that got on his nerves was what he had been told when the speech was ending, he'd always dreaded the annoying place and three months away from it just wasn't enough!

Huffing, the dark-haired teenager entered Kimiaru's room where said brunette was pretending to be asleep - being a master at it himself, he could tell she was faking by the way her breaths were _almost _level, how her mouth was set in a frown and her eyebrows were furrowed in frustration. It could have just been her having a nightmare, or it could be all the commotion in the room that was driving her nuts - surveying the scene around him, Debi decided that it was the latter.

Basically, Jasdero's chicken was chasing Road's present - a cute, baby guinea pig - because it wanted to eat it. The female Kamelot was trying to bombard the barnyard animal with candles - resulting in many being stuck to the wall - while the blonde Noah was messing up her aim so that his pet could remain safe. Cyril was attempting to reassure his daughter that he can get her a new hamster-like critter and that she was disrupting his niece's sleep. Big mistake.

"YOU LOVE HER MORE THAN ME DON'T YOU?" was what exited out of the eldest Noah's mouth, teary eyes and a trembling lip followed. Before anyone knew what had happened, Road was clutched in a bone-crushing hug by her bawling otou-san.

"I've been such a terrible father to you, making it seem that I care for more for your cousin than for you and I'm sorry!" his voice couldn't have been anymore high-pitched and the waterfalls that were descending from his eyes were threatening to flood the room. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! And to make it up for you, I'll let you buy the candy store of your choice."

"Oh daddy, you've made me feel so neglected, but since I love you, if you are true to your word then I will forgive you," Cyril's daughter's voice sounded ever so meek and dejected, her hidden expression on the other hand, was the complete opposite. A huge and self-satisfied smirk was plastered on her teenage face as she inwardly prided herself on having manipulated her father again. Her chichi quickly rose with a determined look on his face, grabbed the hand of his adopted child and bolted out of the room - wallet in hand.

"The wonders of patience," Kimiaru muttered after two of her relatives had left. She supported herself on her elbow and let her chin fall into her palm. "I can't believe the amount of noise two people can make." The brunette opened one eye and glanced at the people in her room, which had thankfully reduced to two.

She saw Jasdero and Debitto. The first mentioned was running after the chicken that had almost been mauled by candle tips, the farm animal, strangely enough, had suddenly stopped chasing the guinea pig and turned on its owner. Needless to say, the golden-haired twin had run screaming from the room with a rabid cockerel trailing after him.

"How you have been able to survive with them, I will never know," the brunette murmured. Her chest burned and her head ached, she still felt the heat of her flames from before and her throbbing temples felt like they were going to explode.

_'Damn after-effects.'  
_  
The seventeen-year-old's prior aggravation had disappeared completely by now, and just to show it, an amused smirk was set firmly in place, "The only reason I haven't gone insane is because I'm special."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"I don't need to, your blush in Carmona confirmed that fact for me," his grin only widened as the receiver of his sentence went scarlet in the face.

"You son of a-" then she screamed, loud and shrill, and then leaped off the queen-sized bed - one pillow, duvet and pink fluffy ball held in both hands.

Trudging along the length of her bed was the brown, white, and black baby guinea pig, it's tiny nose sniffed twice before it settled at the center and just stared. The male Noah looked from the shocked teen, to the small mammal that had scared her out of her wits - three seconds later he just couldn't hold it, roars of laughter burst out of his mouth and had him rolling on the floor, banging his fist against the non-carpeted ground.

"It's not funny! That hamster-wannabe almost crawled on top of me."

Debitto - after a few minutes of stomach-wrenching guffaws - paused in his fit of hysteria and locked gazes with the scowling and huffing teen.

_'Time to get her whole face crimson again.'_ he decided.

Standing up he leisurely approached her, "I'm sure you would have had no problem if _**I **_was the one who climbed on top of you."

_'Pop! Red as a cherry again. Mission accomplished.'_

In a flash of chocolate brown, gray, green and black, the oldest of the two was back on the floor being suffocated by a pillow.

"You disgusting little sicko, you perv!" and with all that being said, she pressed the pillow firmer on the figure struggling beneath her.

* * *

Tyki didn't know how he got caught up in these situations, only a few minutes ago he had been reading in the study, and now he had been cornered by his brother and niece who were demanding that he adopt the teenage brunette.

"For the last time-"

"But Tyki!" and this time it wasn't Cyril, Road stared up at the older man, pout and glassy eyes at the ready, "she's the only one who can help me with my homework when Milleni is not around. Please!"

"I'm sorry Road, but no."

"Fine then, I didn't want to have to do this but," the diplomat took a deep breath, opened his mouth and, "TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI - I'm just going to keep going by the way - TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI, TYKI-!"

A hand clamped over his mouth and the Portuguese male sighed, "you know what, fine. I'll 'adopt' her but I'm not killing her dad and marrying her mom."

"But-"

"Cyril, just one more word and I will pull out your voice box and tangle it with your colon." That being said, the twenty-six-year-old went out in search of his new "daughter".

When he walked into her room, however, a sight he thought he'd never see met him.

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**story expert mel13: **Happy you like it.

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**Okay, I hope you enjoyed it. A bit of perverted little Debi in this chapter ;D Please review!**


	9. An Average Day In The Noah Family

**Sorry it's late but school started and, well you know how it is with school. Six reviews again, yay! I hope you guys aren't mad about me bitching on the last chapter but I was upset. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, I LOVE YOU! A little more perverted Debi inside.  
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**Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in the last chappie but whatever. I do not own -Man**

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Chapter: 9  
An Average Day In The Noah Family

"Push! _Puuush_!_" _Jasdero urged. "Now breathe, and..._puuush_!"

"Push _Lero," _the umbrella mimicked. He circled the creature that was in labor and then returned to the blonde's side, "she's not pushing _Lero."_

There was the fluttering of feathery wings, a pained squawk and finally a "plop" as an egg fell onto the makeshift nest Jas had built.

"Yay!" the overjoyed twin jumped up - arms in the air - flailing ecstatically.

"What's all the noise about Jasde-" Road stopped abruptly and stared at the gleaming white oval shaped object that was being sat on by a hen, she had a moment to look between the mother and unborn child before she was engulfed in strong, long, gray arms.

"He's had a baby! I'm so happy, my chicken finally had a baby, _hee-hee_!"

After much effort, the female Kamelot was able to pry the leather-vest wearer's hands from her body and smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt, "for your information, it's not a baby, it's an egg, and further more, if it just gave birth, then it must be a she."

Cocking his head to the side, he contemplated the words said to him before speaking, "no, he's a he."

"Listen here, only girls can produce offspring. That chicken is a hen because hens are female, it is not a man, it is a lady and I want you to understand that. Surely they must have explained this all to you in school because they've told me all about it, also- are you even listening? Jasdero! _Jaaaaasdeeeeeeroooooo_!"

The cries fell on deaf ears as the male whose name had been mentioned countless times toyed with the light hanging from his head, "I'm an angelfish." And after that declaration, he burst into a fit of giggles and occupied the task of rolling about on the kitchen's floor tiles.

"I don't believe this," Road's voice turned into nothing more than a whisper, she quietly left the room, and once she was out of hearing distance, the blonde stopped his tumbling and stood up.

Heaving a sigh he muttered, "the things I have to do to get people to leave me alone."

"No _Lero! _You shouldn't have ignored Road-tama _Lero! _Go apologize now _Lero!_" the frantic pumpkin head shouted, if Road was annoyed, then she would drag him around - face first - when she walked. He did not enjoy being dragged, I mean, wasn't it enough that he was always stolen and sat on?

The seventeen-year-old - as expected - hadn't listened to a word he had been told and was still giddy about his cockerel's egg.

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"Why isn't it disappearing?"

"I don't know."

"Isn't it the same thing that happened with Allen Walker's?"

"You are quite right Lulu Bell."

"But Earl-sama, Allen Walker's is a parasitic type, this one is not."

"I know that Cyril, but there is nothing I can say to make sense of it."

"How about we just kill the boy," Lulu Bell suggested, "then his Innocence will have no host and will therefore be useless. Perhaps after that, this mist will disintegrate."

Nodding his head, the Earl of Millennium agreed with the idea, "we don't have to be hasty though, if his Innocence isn't near him, then he can't upgrade it."

"Now that, that has all been said, I'm off," the diplomat announced and strode away.

A pitch black cat pranced to the unknown and left her Master to his thoughts.

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Tyki was amused, that was for sure. Never in his life had he ever thought that he might live to see the day that someone suffocated Debitto - yet here he was, alive and well at the age of twenty-six.

None of the other occupants in the room had noticed him and he wanted to keep it it that way, if they did, the show might end, and there was no way that he'd ever want it to stop.

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His lungs were about to implode from lack of air and he was completely aware of the fact. So as he pushed up against the pillow for the millionth time, and for the millionth time it didn't budge, he decided he'd have to try something else - that something else was basically grabbing hold of the female's hands and lifting them from his face.

Only problem - the girl was determined. When he caught hold of her hands, she pressed harder, when he tried pushing them away, she pressed harder, and when he rolled them over so he was on top again, she only pushed him off with her feet, got on top of him again and pressed **harder**.

He was at a complete loss of what to do, however, as luck would have it, the compression she was applying on his face - via soft pillow - was reduced and he was able to grab the evil fluffy object and chuck it away.

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_'Stupid, annoying, insufferable, irritating-'_

_**'Hey, cool it!'**_

_'-obnoxious, idiotic, perverted, reckless-'_

_**'Oi! Calm down already!'**_

_'-conceited, arrogant, foolish, manner-less-'_

_**'You're getting too upset! Stop!'**_

_'-agitating, peeving, boisterous-'_

A familiar ache pulsed throughout her skull and the brunette finally realized that her anger was getting out of hand, she switched her mood to happiness in a snap and slowly loosened the pressure that she put on the pillow. As soon as that happened, the object used for assaulting the Noah beneath her was whisked away.

After a few seconds of watching him breathe, she finally noticed the figure at the door, a smirk set on his handsome face.

The mirth he felt was evident in his voice when he spoke, "Kimiaru, come here, I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay," before she could get up, a hand clamped down on her wrist and she looked to see Debi staring at her.

His face leaned up towards hers and his mouth went towards her ear, "you know, you could have just told me that you liked being the dominant one."

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Maybe it was the fact that Debitto was family, or maybe it was because the Noah in him screamed at him to save him. If it wasn't any one of those two, then Tyki didn't know how he was able to get the female away from the seventeen-year-old. As soon as the suggestive sentence had made its way out of the boy's mouth, he had lunged forward and grabbed the frozen girl before she could react.

Of course, after that moment of shock, she had been writhing around in his grip in an effort to get to the grinning fool - meters away from her. In a moment of absolute exhaustion, he had loosened his grip on her, and that gave the brunette time to get hold of the lamp at her side and throw it.

He closed the door so that she couldn't get her hands on anything else, and had therefore missed what had happened to the dark-haired twin. When they were outside the room, she glared menacingly at the door - still struggling - before a flash of pain coursed through her eyes (Tyki didn't miss this), and she turned back into the happy-go-lucky child she was supposed to be.

"You can let me go now."

The Portuguese man eyed her warily before carefully setting her on the floor. She turned to him and stretched then stared expectantly.

"Follow me." And that she did.

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They emerged into a balcony that overlooked the entire ark, here, the twenty-six-year-old sat on the ledge and gestured for her to do the same.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Before I start talking, you have to answer a few questions first, is that fine with you?"

"Sure."

"Okay then, what country are you from?"

Tapping her chin a bit, the teen mulled over her answer before replying, "I really don't know, since I was adopted, but if you're asking in terms of technicality, then I'm part Russian because of my mother. My dad is mixed, French and German - weird combination right - but yeah. I know more Russian than French but my German is just embarrassing, we moved to France when I was about five and that's all I know."

"Hmm, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"How was your child life before you came here?"

"It was great actually, my parents were amazing and they used to spoil me a lot. Since each had their own company, they were pretty wealthy, they sent me to the best school they found and stuff, it was only when one of the teachers complained that I was being rude that they decided they'd pampered me too much. From then on I had to clean my room, wash my dishes and clear up my toys when I was done with them, I didn't dare act like a brat again or else I knew they'd take away more privileges. School was, well, school. I liked it because I made friends, I hated it because it was school. Simple as that. My parents weren't satisfied with average grades, they pushed me so that I could get no less than a ninety on most of the tests I got - sometimes I'd rebel, refuse to study and get just above a passing mark, but they'd seem so disappointed in me when I did that so I stopped."

"Teenage life?"

"That _oh-so-wonderful _(note the sarcasm) friend that visits every girl once a month decided to pop up when I was thirteen. My mom had told me beforehand since I was developing pretty quickly so I knew what to do, the first three months I had cramps and nausea and all that stuff, but after that, they just faded away. Lucky me! But of course, the bleeding stayed. Those bitchy, backstabbing hos that people talk about tried to mess with me. Didn't work much because I didn't have any secrets, except crushes. When they found out about one, they told the whole homeroom class, and of course I was embarrassed, but eh, life goes on. By the time I was fifteen, I signed up for some weird modeling thing. I got in, turns out they really liked me and wanted to keep me in, I did shoots for Louis Vuitton, Rolan Mouret and some other one I forgot the name of. It was a lot of fun."

"Do your parents know what you are?"

"You mean me being a Noah? Nope, once the Earl appeared, it really scared me but he took time to explain everything properly. I told my parents that Lacoste had decided to put me in a photo-shoot in Japan, so that's how I was able to get here without any suspicions."

"What about-"

"Nu-uh, you have to tell me why you brought me out here first."

He sighed, "okay then, now just think about this, don't react immediately. How would you like it if I became your father?"

A series of blinks followed the question, then a reply, "you want to be my father?"

"Ugh, I know it's weird but Cyril and Road have been pestering me about this and they won't stop. Please, I'm actually begging you to become my daughter."

"_**The**_ Tyki Mikk is _**begging**_ me, Kimiaru, to become his daughter. Wow."

"Don't make it worse than it already is."

"Fine, no harm will come out of it right?"

"No harm whatsoever."

"Okay then, just one condition."

"Which is?"

"You have to tell me how to get back at Debitto! He's such a jerk, if only I had kept the pillow on for a little longer. You've been living with him, tell me how please!"

Tyki just "tsked" slyly and looked down at his daughter, "you really want to know how to get back at him?"

"Yes please."

"I don't think I should tell you, my pure little child must never do what I'm thinking."

"But daddy! You have to tell me!"

The certain term that she used had felt foreign to his ears, but seeing as how he'd have to deal with this for a while, he pushed away his discomfort and answered, "fine, fine, but you have to do exactly what I tell you for this to work."

"Okay, just say it!"

He leaned in and whispered in her ear for a few minutes, the brunette grew redder by each second, but nearing the end, a not-so-innocent smile occupied her face.

"Have you understood my dear musume?"

"Yep, I'm going to go take a shower now."

"Of course, and if you see anything else that you can take advantage of, then use it."

"Yes father," and with that, Kimiaru bounded to the bathroom with a noteworthy smirk on her face.

_'This is gonna be fun.'_

_**'Oh yes it is.'**_

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**Crimson light of Death:** Thank you, and she wasn't necessarily scared of guinea pigs, it's just that it crawled on her and she thought it was a bug or something. But now that I think about it, I should make her scared of it shouldn't I? Many thanks to you!

**story expert mel13: **Thank you oh-so-very much!

**Soulless Ghosty: **Pervy Debi is awesome! And I like fluff, it's so fluffy I'm gonna die! (Despicable Me) Oh snap, no wonder you couldn't review, school and its issues. Thursday was the second day and I got three pieces of homework - what type of teachers do that on your SECOND DAY? Oh dear. I love your reviews, please review this chapter!

**AcPa xox: **A perverted Debi = Happy Readers/Author

**hana-chan18: **All is forgiven! It's really okay, my computer's a bitch so I get it.

**lottima: **You like it, yay!

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**I hope you liked it, and no worries, I won't stall the plan Kim and Tyki cooked up. It's coming up next chapter and Debi will get a taste of the sexual harassment he keeps dishing out ;D Unfortunately I don't have school off even though it's a public holiday (stupid private school) so if you do, and even if you don't, please review!**


	10. Revenge

**Chapter ten! Writing this chapter was really, really fun. Sorry it's so late, school is a bitch and...yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 10  
Revenge

"Debitto...Debitto...Debi? Debi wake up."

"Ugh, Jas? Is that you?"

"Debitto asks stupid questions, _hee-hee_."

"Nice to know my brother thinks so highly of me," the dark-haired twin sat up and rubbed his throat, he winced at the contact and brought back his hand to find some blood on his fingers.

"Debi has a cut that's diagonal across his neck," the blonde said, he helped his brother stand up, "Debi was also unconscious when Dero came into the room."

The more aggressive brother thought for a while before the events that had taken place flitted into his mind. He remembered Tyki dragging Kimiaru away, he remembered the Portugese man let go for a second, he remembered the brunette throw a lamp his way before the twenty-six-year-old got the door closed, he remembered letting go of his sitting position so that he could get into a lying one to avoid the object, he remembered doing it too fast - resulting in his head hitting the floor hard, and he remembered a shard of flying glass graze his neck as the lamp broke - before he blacked out.

_'That explains my aching head.'_

"Debitto!"

"What is it Jas?"

"Ahem...my chicken laid an egg!"

He stared at his golden-haired brother before deciding that he might as well listen, "your chicken laid an egg?"

"Yup. He's in the kitchen, sitting on it right now."

"Jasdero, if it laid an egg, then it's a she."

"No, he's a he."

"Jasdero, just listen for a sec-"

The ravenette was yanked out of the room by his seething twin and thrown into a chair in the kitchen, his head was twisted to the side so that he could see the white cockerel on its unborn chick.

"Does that look like a girl to you?"

"You can never tell-"

"It's a boy, it's a boy, it's a boy and you can't do anything about it!"

"You know what, fine, it's a boy, but the real question should be **how **it laid an egg." Standing up, he made his way over to the freezer and got an icepack out, he pressed it to the back of his skull and sighed as the cold started to numb the pain.

"That's easy, it pushed really, really hard then-"

"N-no! Stop! I didn't mean that 'how', I mean when did it mate?"

"Debi really does ask stupid questions."

"How so?"

"Chickens don't mate, they take twenty-four hours to produce an egg until it leaves its body."

"And how do you know this exactly?"

"Dero searched it on the Internet, duh."

"If I hear one more word - just one more, I will make sure that when I am done with the both of you, there will be many, many holes in your bodies," walking through the doorway was a sleepy Road who was clutching a very afraid pumpkin-headed umbrella.

"What's got you all pissed off?"

"The fact that you woke me up from sleep."

"Sleep? What time is it?"

"It's a little bit past midnight, you were out for more than half a day," the golden-haired twin replied.

"Exactly, so stop making so much noise because of a stupid hen."

"Stupid? My chicken is not stupid, it's very smart-"

Road started heading out of the kitchen - ignoring what the blonde had to say and paused at the door-frame.

"-and further more!" Jasdero continued, "it is not a hen because it is not a girl and-"

"Jasdero, go to sleep," the female Kamelot sighed.

"Okay," his ranting ended just like that and he bounded out of the room with the eldest child following him, she was dragging a certain object on the ground - face first.

"Lero's face, _Lero. _Road-tama is hurting Lero's face, _Lerooooooo!" _but she paid no heed to the suffering item, entered her room and slammed the door.

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"This is so cool!"

"It is, isn't it."

"I cannot believe this is your ability and mine is just empathy control, it's not fair! I want to be able to go through walls and stuff."

"Sorry for not being as amazing like me."

"What type of father are you?"

"The type that was forced into fatherhood by his insane brother and demanding niece."

"Psh, that's no excuse."

"To you it isn't, now zip it, he's coming in."

They silently watched as Debitto made his way into the study and grabbed a book from the shelf, he then retraced his steps and climbed on top of the structure that held the four doors. He produced a pencil and paper from the binder that he'd been holding and opened up the book in his hands to a specific page, after a few seconds, he started writing.

"I never pictured him as the book kinda guy."

"He's not, but he has to in order to finish something off. Just like Debitto to wait last minute."

"Last minute? For what?"

"You'll find out soon enough, but right now, it's time for your mission."

All the girl's previous curiosity had been wiped away and replaced with devious intentions, she stretched her arms above her head before getting her head out of the wall with Tyki's help, picking up the two melting ice cream cones that were on a plate, pulling her cape tighter around her body, and walking out of the hallway - into another door that led to the study.

Once the Portuguese man heard the door close, he phased through the wall again and watched the whole scenario unfold before him.

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_'The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter (3 feet) tall, weighing about 20 kilograms (44 lb), living on fruit, and nesting on the ground._

_The dodo has been extinct since the mid-to-late 17th century. It is commonly used as the archetype of an extinct species because its extinction occurred during recorded human history and was directly attributable to human activity-'_

"Why do I need to know about this stupid bird anyway?" running a hand through his hair, the frustrated Noah stared at the questions on the paper and sighed.

**1.) When was the first dodo discovered?**

The dodo was first discovered in 1581

**2.) What is the scientific name for a dodo?**

The scientific name for the dodo is "Raphus cucullatus"

**3.) Describe the attitude of a dodo.**

Friendly

**4.) What country was the dodo first discovered in?**

**5.) Explain why the dodo was flightless.**

**6.) Explain the cultural significance of a dodo.**

**7.) Write an essay about the extinction of dodos, every paragraph must be five to seven sentences each. There must be a minimum of four paragraphs.**

**"**When will I ever have to freakin' know any of these?"

The sound of the door opposite him being closed was what diverted his attention from the useless assignment. He could just make out the outline of a person next to the fore-mentioned object; the click of a lock being turned spiked his nerves and surprised him, why would someone lock the door?

"Debitto? Is that you?" The cloaked figure emerged in the spotlight of one of the overhead chandeliers - the boy recognized the voice of the girl, but the fact that she was covered in a cape from head to toe wouldn't let him confirm his suspicions.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Good." She jogged over to the pillar he sat on, put the plate next to his pencil, climbed on top and situated herself between his open legs (she was kneeling straight and facing him.)

"You're not here to kill me are you?"

"Nope, I brought you some ice cream because I'm sorry for almost suffocating you to death."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Then what's the cloak for?"

"Nothing really, I'll just take it off." Kimiaru reached up to the hood and pulled it down, then unbuttoned the cape from her neck and let it drop to the floor.

The male's eyes widened when he saw the attire she was wearing: black bra with white lace at the rim, fluffing down to the center from both sides, and black briefs with white lace circling the rim.

_**'Look at his face!'**_

'_Haha!'_

_**'Let's get on with this shall we?'**_

_'We shall.'_

Kim picked up the ice cream cone and waved it in front of his face, "hello? Anyone home?"

"...yeah. What the heck are you wearing?"

"What does it look like I'm wearing? What a stupid question." She twirled her cone in her hand before lifting it up towards her face, but before it could reach it, a drop landed on the white fluff in the middle of her bra.

She put down the melting confection and sighed, "my hands are all sticky, can you get that for me?" When he made no move to do anything except raise an eyebrow at her, she reached for his finger, dipped it into the middle of the undergarment and pulled it along the trail of the supposed-to-be-frozen treat.

"W-what are you doing?"

"That's another pretty stupid question, but thank you anyway for getting it out," with that being said, the brunette put the vanilla coated finger into her mouth and licked the syrupy liquid off the tip.

_**'He's blushing! He's actually blushing!'**_

_'Tyki had better be getting this on a video camera!'_

The seventeen-year-old's face was a deep crimson as he just sat there in shock, his arm was let go by the girl in front of him and dropped back into place. He watched as the younger Noah huffed while he gawked.

"Are you gonna take your ice cream or not? I didn't bring it all the way here for nothing." As she waved her cone around, ranting about how she had been extra careful and quiet while trying to get it out of the freezer, another globule flew onto his nose.

At first she just stared at it, then giggled as it dripped onto his top lip. He raised his hand to wipe it off before she grabbed it,"since you got the vanilla off me, I'll get it off you." The brunette got closer, so much so that her chest touched his and let her tongue stroke the drop off the organ, she leaned back and suppressed the smirk that threatened to overtake her face as she glanced at the bewildered teen in front of her.

"I hope I didn't hurt you when I threw the lamp, the door closed too soon for me to see what happened."

Debitto unconsciously touched the cut on his neck as he remembered the previous encounter he had, had with her. In no time at all, his hand was in the chestnut-haired-girl's grasp and a positively captivating look shone in her two, deceptive golden eyes.

"I didn't mean to give you an ouchie. How about I kiss it and make it all better?" He had no time to protest or move whatsoever, she had acted so fast he hadn't even noticed. The male was now laying down on the rectangular-like structure and was being hovered over by, of course, the female.

Her head dipped and Debi's breathing hitched as he felt her place a small kiss at the start of the injury, Kimiaru trailed the laceration gently with her moist, pink muscle - leaving hot, wet trails in her wake. She lifted herself - still pinning him down by his forearms - and cocked her head to the side when she saw that she hadn't gotten rid of the ice cream that dropped on his lip.

By now, the sticky confection had streamed to where his bottom and top lip met. "I didn't know I missed that one."

_'Breathe, breathe, breathe.'_

He had no idea what was going on. He had just been doing his assignment for the summer and suddenly, little bipolar Kimiaru had strolled into the room and stunned him by what she did. She was supposed to be an adorable, fun-loving, sixteen-year-old Noah, not an alluring, sexy femme fatale (1) - yet that was who was kneeling in front of him. Her attire was more proof of that, and the fact that she did it in an oh-so-innocent way made it all the more effective

His thoughts were cut off abruptly as her finger brushed against his lips, ever so slightly, the brunette let her evil tongue slip out once more. This time, it ran the outline of his mouth before slowly, enticingly, venturing onto his plump, pink lips that were the border to the inside of his jaw. She pressed and prodded before running over the line of ice cream that was at the brink of slipping in, and even though she almost scraped all of it off, some did manage to enter.

"Whoopsy, I can't have you taking mine," the sing-song voice was an octave lower from her original one, and for some reason, it worked for her.

_'J-just focus, on something-anything!'_

And Debitto would have just **loved** to do that. Problem was, there were only a few things to focus on that could distract him from her voice, and those things were what was covered in black and white lace. Not acceptable. He felt two fingers slip into his mouth and pry it open, but what really sent the jolt down his spine was when a warm, wet muscle dipped past his lips and feathered along his own glossa.

At first it was just a shy touch, then a long, leisurely stroke which left tingles lingering on his tongue. It roamed the roof of his cavern and strayed to the inside of his cheek, it sauntered along the male's sensitive appendage once more before retreating. She purred breathlessly and situated herself on top of the ravenette, legs on either side of his hips - thus straddling him.

"Ne, Debi, I don't know why I suddenly remembered this, but Tyki told me that you and Jasdero don't wear underwear, and I just wanted to find out if it was true," her hand slithered to the rim of his pants and tugged at it teasingly, "I remember you wore boxers in Carmona, so I just want to check." The devious palm roamed up his chest, "I was wondering whether you'd show me."

His face was a deep scarlet, and the heat of his forehead was enough to rival a fever.

She knew of the closeness of their bodies, knew that only a thin layer of fabric was keeping them apart, and used that to her advantage. The brunette adjusted herself in her 'chair' - she wriggled around slightly, and hoped that her eyes didn't show the triumph she felt after feeling the form under her go stiff.

"What's wrong _De-bi-tto," _her sultry voice never wavered for even a second, "you suddenly went all tense, maybe it's my seating position, how about I change that." She shifted more than necessary and reveled in the fact that he had just let out a shaky breath. "You don't seem too well, maybe I should leave you to what you were doing."

Kimiaru's unfinished cone was sitting in one of her hands and the discarded cape was flung over her shoulder, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Her voice had turned into little more than a whisper and fanned onto his searing face. She took a small, sensual lick of her melting treat, popped the end of the cone into his mouth, stood up and pranced away, (the scars from the shards of bark surprisingly made her look all the more enchanting), but when she was halfway there, she hooked a finger into the side of her panties, lowered it the slightest bit so that he could have a good look at her tattoo on her right hip (2), and gave him the most lascivious gaze he had ever seen - let alone experienced.

The door unlocked, opened, closed, and Kimiaru was gone. That was when the seventeen-year-old decided that he'd need a very, very cold shower. Even after that, he knew there was no way he'd be able to sleep that night without having another dream like the one in Spain.

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**(1): Femme Fatale = Seductress**

**(2): The tattoo on her right hip is the kanji symbol for happiness.**

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**Another Witty Ninja: **Aww, don't hate on Tyki, he's who introduced this idea to Kimiaru. What a wonderful role model he is xD

**Soulless Ghosty: **I like Jasdero and think he deserves more credit, it's not really that he's anti-social, it's more like he believes his chicken is a boy and doesn't want to hear otherwise so had strategies to get rid of people. He was smart enough to use them to get out of lectures from the Earl :D You poor, poor child, homework on the first day? The evilness of teachers...

**Crimson Light of Death: **Well, perverted Debi has learned his lesson hasn't he xD I hope i did surprise you.

**SerenadeInTheMoonlight: **A new reader, hooray! And your wish has been granted, a new chapter on the very day you reviewed!

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**I sincerely hoped you liked this chapter because I took a lot of time to write it. Can we try and get five reviews? I know that school is taking a lot of time from everyone but I have school too and I was able to get this chappie out so I'd appreciate it if I got a little more than last time. Review!**


	11. Back To School

**Forgive me for not updating in almost two weeks, but the amount of tests and homework and whatnot that school has dumped on me is very tiring. Okay, the results of Kimiaru's little revenge scene is here and it actually took a toll on both of them. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

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Chapter: 11  
Back To School

"Woah." That was all Tyki Mikk had to say after his daughter walked out of the study. He had no idea that she'd be able to really pull it off, he'd been half expecting her to abandon the whole thing and just strangle Debitto right there and then, but he had been clearly proved wrong.

"So, how was my performance daddy?" From sultry to happy-go-lucky, this girl was definitely something.

"It was-" he coughed a few times before straightening up, he was her father for crying out loud, and he could do this! "It was g-good."

_'Did I just stutter? No, I, Tyki Mikk, do not stutter!'_

"You did very well, much better than I thought you would, and you took initiative. I'm proud."

"You know, aren't normal fathers supposed to discourage their daughters from doing this kind of thing?"

"I suppose, but I have gray skin, stigmata across my forehead and golden eyes. Is that the description of a normal otou-san to you?"

"You never know."

Tyki shook his head in amusement and let a relatively dark look invade his eyes.

His new child took a step back and shivered, "what are you hiding?"

"Nothing much."

"Can you tell me?"

"Soon enough."

"You're creeping me out."

He grinned, covered his ears, and said the last thing a teenager wants to hear.

* * *

As soon as the scream tore through the air, Road was trudging down the winding stairs - Lero in hand. She was pissed. Why? Because people kept waking her up. The other reason? Because Milleni's stupid umbrella kept trying to escape her grasp as she slept, so not only did she have to keep yanking the pumkpin-headed parasol back to her, she also had to deal with people who wouldn't give her a good night's rest. Especially since tomorrow was-

Ugh. She shuddered thinking about it, how dare she be forced back into that horrid place? Shaking her head, the female Kamelot sauntered into the kitchen and headed towards the hallway that lead to the study.  
There, she found Kimiaru with her arms crossed, turning away from Tyki who was trying to talk to her.

* * *

"Kimiaru. Kimiaru. Kimiaru you have to listen to me."

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense."

"Nonsense?"

"Exactly, I do not want _**that**_ word come out of anyone's mouth-"

"That's enough!" The eldest scowled at the two that were bickering, "I'm tired of being woken up time and time again. The both of you had better shut up 'cause I need to go back to sleep so that I can be ready-"

"Don't say it Road, that word is taboo," the Portuguese man warned.

"Ahem, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted: so that I can be ready for school-"

"NO! DON'T MENTION THAT HEINOUS PLACE! NO!" The brunette was on the floor - in fetal position - with her hands over her ears and her body shivering, "no, no, no. Never again."

To say the fourteen-year-old look-alike was surprised would have been an understatement. She just stared at the girl that was shaking on the ground and managed to keep her jaw from hanging open, just the word "school" could get her trembling like this? Cool! Collecting blackmail was quite fun.

Tyki, on the other hand, clutched the quivering female's arms and shook her gently, "come on, up you go."

In less than a second, Kim was back to her normal self but she remained on the carpet glaring at her dad. "I'm not going."

"Yes, yes you are."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes, and I had better not hear that tone again."

"Since when can you tell her what to do Tyki?"

"Ever since I became her father, Road."

The small Kamelot's eyes lit up, "you really became her otou-san? Yay! I finally have a cousin!"

"Ma-Matte!" But it was no use, in record time, the sixteen-year-old had been dragged up the stairs and into Road's room where a tea party was being set up.

Eyes wide with horror, Kimiaru grasped onto the door frame and used her other hand to reach towards her father - who was rooted to the bottom of the staircase - and yelped when she had been yanked inside by her cape.

* * *

"I have to go to sleep or else I won't be ready for (*gag*) school tomorrow."

"Who cares?" the short-haired girl said care-freely while smiling, she grabbed a tea-pot and set it on the small table, "my tea parties are much more important."

"But I don't want to have a tea party."

Two golden eyes glanced at the teen who had just spoke, and a smirk came to rest upon the features of the oldest Noah in the room, "sorry, but you don't have a choice."

_'I wish I had just stayed trembling on the floor.'_

_**'Well that's just too bad now isn't it? You are officially screwed my dear.'**_

_'I know, why me?'_

_**'Because you're a spoiled little bitch of course, been pampered all your life and now you're paying the price for complaining about school. Now you'd better tune in to what she's saying, there is no way in hell that you want her to find out you've been zoning out.'**_

"Please pass the tea Kimi-chan," and that was the phrase that started the chanoyu (1).

* * *

"I really am a terrible father," Tyki massaged the back of his neck and sighed, "who in their right minds would let their daughter get hauled away by Road of all people? I knew I wasn't cut out for this." He walked away from his niece's door after hearing the conversation and headed towards his room.

About an hour later, he woke up to the sound of paper slipping between his door and the polished, wooden floorboards. Groaning, he lifted himself off the bed, turned on the light, picked up the note and read the words that were written with nail polish: _**WORST DAD EVER!**_  
_**  
**_A laugh tumbled out of his mouth and he simply shook his head, dropped the stationary on his bedside table, switched off his lamp and went to sleep.

* * *

As Kimiaru stared up at her ceiling, she finally confirmed the fact that no, it wasn't Road's unbearably strong tea that was keeping her awake, it was her bothersome mind that kept thinking about a certain ravenette.

She couldn't deny that giving him a taste of his own medicine was fun, not at all, but it's not as if the encounter didn't affect her too. All the blushing that Debi had done got her wondering whether or not he liked her back, it was completely possible for him not to be attracted to her yet give out those reactions because, let's face it, he's a teenage boy- they're like that. And it wasn't only her mind that was in turmoil, but her hormones too.

Debitto was sexy, no doubt about that, but the moment she had stepped into her room (after a grueling hour of playing tea party and painting nails with her "cousin"), her hormones made sure she knew exactly what she had done. A whole lot of giggling and jumping around had been done when images of the scarlet-faced seventeen-year-old flooded her mind, it then turned to absolute and never-ending curiosity as she pondered over the fact of whether he returned her feelings or not.

After a while, the inquisitiveness switched over to depression as she brooded about how he probably didn't like her at all and his redness was probably due to embarrassment or rage. The giddiness, to the curiousness, to the depression simply switched from one to the other, over and over again as she thought about what's what.

_'This is worse than PMS.'_

_**'Damn right!'**_

* * *

They had been deprived of sleep but neither showed it, it wouldn't do any good for their pride if they walked down the stairs looking like zombies.

Kimiaru was out first, dressed fully in her uniform - with a little alteration of course. She wore the same uniform as Road (the black top instead of the white) except she had cut up the red tie and made them into five mini bows. Two were situated at her shoulder, two more on her black school shoes, and the last one attached to the middle of her closed collar. The skirt remained original and so did the stockings.

Her hair was held in a neat bun by various senbon.

"Good morning!" A strangled choke escaped her lips - after her greeting - as she wrestled to get out of her uncle's vice-like grip.

"Good morning and how are you my wonderful little niece? I am so happy that Tyki finally adopted you!" Kimi's hand reached out to the Portuguese man that was watching with pure astonishment, of course, after her dad had frozen when she was lugged away by her cousin, she didn't expect him to help.

A mouthed "help me" was what followed her actions and he instantly snapped out of his daze. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair before walking through the table, grabbing his daughter, phasing her out of Cyril's arms and sitting her down.

"Arigatou, chichi."

"No problem."

"Have you seen Debitto this morning?"

"No...why?" a devious smile overtook his face and she cleared her throat loudly to distract herself from his sly gaze, "now why would my little musume wonder where Debi is? Maybe she-"

"AHEM!" The brunette patted her chest after yelling out the word and quietly started picking out her breakfast from the various dishes in front of her.

Debitto and Jasdero were the last to arrive, both yawned simultaneously as they waltzed into the dining room and took a seat next to each other.

Their uniforms were different from the females' own, theirs were white button up shirts with the school's insignia sewed at the breast pocket, the striped blue tie was fitted tightly against their necks and they wore the the required, navy-blue slacks. Black shoes sat comfortably on their feet.

If it wasn't for the fact that Kimiaru was sitting straight across from them, then she wouldn't have noticed that the **both** of them were avoiding eye contact with her.

* * *

"Have a good day at school my dears!" the Earl shouted as Tyki revved up the engine of his silver Porsche cayman. Lulu Bell gave a small, insignificant wave before exiting the abandoned garage by going through one of Road's doors, Cyril, on the other hand, was sobbing as he screamed for the female Kamelot not to part from him.

The twenty-six-year-old was quick to leave the scene since he didn't want his brother to tie up the car with his 'strings' and keep them from moving at all. Again.

As soon as they had gone out of seeing distance, the twins unbuttonned three buttons of their shirts and undid their ties and flung it around the back of their necks.

"Dero can breathe again, _hee-hee_."

Road spared a glance at them and shook her head amusedly, "you know Milleni will kill you two if he finds out you do that, right?"

"We know, that's why we wait until he can't see us _hee-hee."_

The both of them reached into a compartment on the car door and brought out a case of make-up, after they finished smearing it around their eyes, they kept it back and wiped their hands on tissues they pulled out of their pockets.

"Whatever, anyway, Debi, did you finish your summer homework?" (Debi)

Said Noah glanced at the speaker, "nope. Who cares anyway?"

"The teachers, and anyway, I thought you were doing it yesterday night, why isn't it done?"

He tensed slightly and risked a peep at the youngest of them all, she was staring back at him, a smirk painted on her lips as she wondered what his answer would be.

"Come on _De-bi, _what stopped you?" the brunette asked - leaning towards him and letting a finger stroke his cheek. He was saved from answering when Jasdero changed the subject. From the corner of her eye she could see Jasdero fidgeting uneasily.

"Debi should stop sharing his feelings of discomfort with Dero, they make Dero feel weird, that's why Dero wouldn't look at Kimi this morning and that's why Dero could barely sleep at night."

"We're here!" Tyki sang and halted the car at the gates. Everyone's face filled with agony and he was just able to suppress a grin from forming at the others' sorrow. "Out you go!"

They each just sat there - unmoving, barely breathing - until they were all kicked out by the owner of the automobile.

"I'll pick you up at three." And with that, the man gracefully drove away - the remaining members of the Noah family stood in a line as they watched friends meet up with each other again, asking about how their summer vacation was.

"We step in at the count of three." (Kim)

"One..." (Road)

"Two..." (Debitto)

"Three!" (Jasdero) With the last number being said, they each put one foot forward onto the grounds of Shiawase High School.

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**(1) Chanoyu**: Tea Ceremony

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**Crimson light of Death**: All hail the great Tyki Mikk and his wonderful knowledge in the best ways of revenge! xD Ahem - if you want to purchase Tyki Mikk then I advise that you read the "TYKI MIKK User's Guide and Owner's Manual" before buying him. (Read it, it's funny.)

**Soulless Ghosty: **xD Tyki does know how to go all out, did I surprise you? Cool!

**Another Witty Ninja: **Hate to love and back again makes the world go round :D Don't worry, I'll try and find a way for Kimi's father to give her a few more "suggestions". You are the reason why this chapter didn't end up coming in on the 2nd of October, your intimidating review made me type as much as I can. So thank you for your scariness my _darling!_

**AcPa xox: **Thank you!

**hana-chan18: **I'm happy you liked it, yes, Tyki's ideas are quite...creative.

**Smithy: **I would hurry up and update but I'm pretty busy most of the time so please don't say stuff like that 'cause it's kind of annoying -_-

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**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, do tell me of I make any grammatical errors and if there's an unfinished sentence so that I can fix it. I'm tired and so I don't really proof read and stuff. Okay then, please review! **


	12. And The Name of The Target Is

**I'm back with chapter 12! Okay then, so here's part of the first day back at school - and Debi hasn't forgotten what Kimi did to him, so he's gonna get his revenge. Piece, by, piece.  
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Chapter: 12  
And The Name of The Target Is...

"Hey Road!" A pair of fourteen-year-olds were running to the fore-mentioned girl and all her anxiousness disappeared.

"Fudari! Kiki!" She dashed off to join her friends and started chatting enthusiastically with them.

The remaining three walked slowly towards the humongous school, Debitto wearing a deep scowl, Kimiaru with a wary expression, and Jasdero showcasing a curious air - directed at the castle-like building.

"They've changed the color," the blonde pointed out. "It used to be gray, and now they've changed it to red."

The brunette glanced at the huge structure and noticed that the walls were made out of crimson brick, and by the brightness of it, she supposed that they had recently been put in. The dark-haired twin's already pissed off mood darkened further - even though that should be virtually impossible - as his eyes landed on a group of four rowdy males surrounding a freshman girl.

As they quietly passed, they saw the female listening, her face flushing red, her attempt to walk away, and her arm being grabbed before she was jerked back into one of the boys' grasp.

"And where exactly do you think you're going sweetheart?"

"L-Let go!"

"Not gonna happen." The one holding her started running a finger up her arm, then it took a dive for her chest (from her shoulder), but before it actually reached that region, a soft hand wrenched the shaken teen out of the nineteen-year-old's grip and pulled her out of his reach.

Kimiaru patted the younger female's back, gave her a smile and ushered her away from the scene.

* * *

Zatsuno Botomi was a nineteen-year-old boy who had been held back a grade. He was the son of a rich merchant (mother), the principal of the school (father) and the brother of a successful fashion designer; but unlike his brother, he was crude, sadistic and cunning. Even as a child he was able to manipulate his parents into getting him whatever he wanted, whether it be some chocolate, or, a plasma screen television for his room. However, he didn't put his intelligence to proper use because his grades were down the drain.

Cunning. It was something he prided himself for and why most feared him, if he were a normal bully who was rash, stupid and thick-headed, then eventually a teacher or his dad would find out. Unfortunately for everyone that attended Shiawase, he just wasn't like that, he would make sure that there were no teachers around before he picked on someone, he made sure that he warned the person never to speak of it to anyone, and he made sure that he was a complete and total teacher's pet. Apparently the excuse "my brother always makes me help him create a design everyday when I'm back from school" was good enough for his lack of homework and pathetic test scores.

All he wanted to do was make sure that this freshman knew that he could get away with anything on school grounds, by grabbing her he had already installed the fear factor in her pretty little head. The only problem was that she had struggled in his grip, that meant that she thought he wasn't immune to punishment, so that meant he had to prove it. That annoying little voice in the back of his head tried to tell him it was because she rejected him, but of course, he wouldn't believe it.

But as his hand aimed for her upper torso, she disappeared from his arms and stood a few feet away with another newbie and...the twins? The ones that always caused trouble in class, the ones that didn't give a shit for anybody other than themselves, the ones that had turned down the invitation of joining his posse, the very ones that he had a hard time in antagonizing. Those two were the epitome of agitating - the blondie's skill at drowning people out and not being bothered by a thing they were saying was completely irritating while the darker one was just plain annoying. Never was there a day that the teachers were not upset with his antics (occasionally with his brother helping him), and it wasn't as if they left out students too. On a Monday someone's shirt may catch on fire, on a Tuesday a frantic student might claim that they saw a giant brown sludge monster, on a Wednesday it could be a jock frozen to the wall, and so on. No one knew how they did it but everyone just _**knew**_ that it was them.

The amount of suspensions that the both of them faced should have had them expelled ages ago, but the day that everyone thought the school had finally had enough and gotten rid of them, they were back. No more pranks went on and no more terrified pupils transferred schools, rarely would there be another incident like the ones that had happened before, but when the did arise, each would go to the teacher and apologize profusely. None of them cared whether it was sincere or not, the fact that they had actually said they were sorry was a feat in its own so no more suspensions. A few seniors tried to pick on them - that didn't turn out too well. Despite their strange habit of turning up at school with make-up on, they weren't wusses in the slightest, they could hold their own in a fight, and never had any of them gained a bruise from any hustle they'd ever been in. But everyone had a nagging feeling in their gut that when they found a good target, the school would erupt into chaos once again.

Funny enough though, both trouble makers were gifted with exceptional smarts. Jasdero and Debitto had made it to the high honor roll almost every year, the only time they hadn't was when the both of them had disappeared for months and none of their guardians could be reached. Zatsuno was also forced to recognize that each had amazing athletic skills, the height at which they could jump was phenomenal, their strength was rivaled by none, and the speed they could run out was frightening. The problem with the twins was that they were too damn hard to bully, no one knew anything about their background so he couldn't tease them about their family/social status, they didn't have any embarrassing secrets so he couldn't expose anything to the school, and they were flawless. Intelligent, strong, fast and handsome, they were constantly fawned over and everyone knew not to mess with them.

So when Zatsuno saw his prey run away - after being saved by a certain brunette - he decided that it was time to finally show them who was better. The girl with the two must have meant something to the brothers or else she wouldn't be with them, a sister maybe - but she didn't look anything like the blonde and ravenette, but then again, the two were twins and didn't resemble each other at all. Well, whatever the case, he would make sure that he'd make them suffer, whether it be directly, or through the junior next to 'em.

* * *

Jasdebi hadn't expected any less from the chocolate-haired-female, she was headstrong, stubborn and even if they had protested, she wouldn't have listened. They knew the reputation of the filth standing in front of them, and honestly, they completely anticipated what happened next - and boy was it amusing.

"How dare you take something from Botomi-sama?"

"She was Botomi-sama's property!"

"Botomi-sama should we apprehend her?"

"Botomi-sama, she should take the other girl's place."

Kim watched as the future rapist's (it seems like first impressions - to her - determine a person's career) followers' mouths moved but she didn't hear a word they said, instead, she focused on the amused faces that her companions were sporting.

Her attention turned back to the ranting eighteen-year-olds and she let a bored expression take over her face, why on earth do they think that she would care if she just spaced out for a few peaceful minutes - staring at a certain someone who invaded all her thoughts the night before. The junior tilted her head so that it could rest on Jasdero's shoulder, and immediately, the idiots who had been shouting at her stopped dead. Mouth hanging half open as they stared at her like she had grown two heads.

The female Noah's mood brightened as she figured out what was going on, tiptoeing, she whispered a few words in the mellowest twin's ear and smiled when he nodded. Slowly, Jasdero let his eyes land upon the frozen seniors, he took one step forward and they jumped back in fear.

Kimiaru giggled heartily, her hand clutched her abdomen as she let out stomach-wrenching guffaws - the ever so sweet Jasdero really had those losers cowering back in fear? Priceless!

"A-Are you f-fucking s-serious," she was able to get out between laughs, "I have got t-to be d-dreaming o-or something!" Leaning on her crush for support, the youngest of them all wiped her tears away and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, she glanced at the offended group in front of her, one of them opened their mouths to speak but _**coincidentally **_Debitto had decided to turn his gaze to them. This had them paling and one let out a tiny squeak.

_*Insert hysterical laughter here*_

In the end, the two male Noahs had to haul the girl inside the school when the bell rang because:

**#1: She was still laughing**

**#2: She had been doubled over**

**#3: The laughter had taken such a toll on her that even when she had finally been able to stop, she could barely move because of her aching tummy.**

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"Owww, it _huuuuurts_!"

"And who's fault is that exactly?" Debi asked the whining child.

"Stop being such an ass, it was funny!"

"And you've payed the price for having no control over your giggling."

"So basically, I'm in pain from laughing too much and you're berating me?"

"Seems like that doesn't it?"

Before Kim was able to chuck her pencil at him, a pudgy little man with thick glasses walked into the classroom. He held a briefcase at his side and his black tupe sat haphazardly on his head, the panting human set the case down on the table, opened it and retrieved a paper from the depths of the leather object.

"Attention please!" Yes he was small, and yes he was a bit chubby, but his voice was strong and held an authoritative tone. All eyes landed on him and he nodded appreciatively, "I am the homeroom teacher for the juniors - Morioko-sensei - and I will also be your art teacher. The homeroom teacher for the seniors is a bit late right now so I will be filling in for her at the moment. Any questions?"

"Yeah, why are you such a fatty?" (One of Zatsuno's groupies.)

"Please make your way to the head-master's office."

"What? But-"

"Would you rather have three weeks of detention-I thought not. Please exit my class immediately."

The scraping of a chair and shuffling feet was heard as the delinquent made his way out of the room.

"And by the way," Morioko called after him, "it runs in the family. Any more questions students? No? Okay, when I call your name, please come up and get your schedule."

"Hai, Morioko-sensei."

"Kawa Hisachi." And so it began, after the trio received their slip of paper, the brunette wasn't at all surprised to see that the twins had the exact same routine. Frowning, she realized that she and them only had homeroom together and she huffed when she saw her least favorite subject: Algebra.

It was actually the area in which she excelled in the most but it was so damn annoying! Why were there any damn letters in math anyway - there should just be a question mark every time they had to evaluate the expression and find out what "n" was supposed to be.

Well whoop-de-friggin-doo, now she finds out that instead of having it once every _other _day like all her other subjects, she has it every. Single. Bloody. Day.

"Damn it." An elbow rested on her head and she was just able to make out Debitto's black hair, "Okay, what do you think you're doing?"

"I won't see you throughout the whole school day so I decided to say goodbye."

"Bye-bye Kimi-chan, _hee-hee!_" She was engulfed in the blonde's arms before he pulled away. A little pat on the head was her 'sayonara' from Debi and she was left standing in her homeroom class. The first bell rang and the brunette sighed as she made her way to the worst class ever - or tried to.

Her eyes widened as she stared down at her shoes and was met with the sight of a wide green glob covering them.

"Debitto!" And it barely occurred to her that the **two **of them had to think the same thought before the goop could materialize.

* * *

As soon as he heard his name, he took off with his brother right beside him - chuckling the whole way. Before they got out of hearing distance, however, he shouted, "first act of payback bitch!"

"I'm gonna kill you!" (Kim)

* * *

A loud 'plop' was heard when the brunette's shoes had been freed of the gooey, super-sticky prison - with the help of someone else of course. (There was a whole lot of pulling, whining, cursing and _**more**_ pulling until she was finally yanked out.)

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem - Kimiaru right?"

"Mmhm," was the reply that the red-head got as she watched her new friend stretch.

When an audible crack reverberated from her shoulder, she opened her eyes and glanced at the girl in front of her.

"And your name is..."

"Sonrisareina Diaz."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound very Japanese."

"It's Spanish, I was adopted by a Spanish family and they're pretty nice but they're all in Spain. I came here because of an exchange program but it turns out that the chick who was supposed to switch with me, fell sick and stayed. I was still allowed to come over though so I started schooling here."

"Well, I should make my way to Algebra shouldn't I?"

"You have it too? Cool, let's go."

"Ugh."

Linking arms, the female of Spanish origin had to drag her whining classmate out of the classroom as someone else walked in. That someone else happened to be a handsome male with oh-so pretty blue eyes, as he stared after the pair that exited, his eyes caught the tormentor of the school, Zatsuno Botomi gazing after a certain one - a smirk present on his face.

Sighing, he sat down and got ready for art, he wasn't able to completely pay attention due to the fact that he had witnessed the twins speed by him in the hall, and had heard the angry scream after them. As both girls had passed him, he recognized the voice of the unlucky pick for Jasdebi's trick, and he felt sorry for her. Why? Because she had gained the attention of the most notorious members of Shiawase: Debitto, Jasdero and Zatsuno.

How on earth could someone be unfortunate enough to be the target of all three trouble-makers? Poor girl, it seemed like she had a big red bullseye on her back.

Unknown to him though, was the fact that the very female he was thinking about, knew exactly how to handle herself around the dastardly bunch.

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**Soulless Ghosty: **Well, no one can blame her for her dislike of that evil place. Jasdero's gonna have to deal with a whole lotta stuff running in Debitto's mind in later chapters, so there's gonna be a big boiling point for both soon enough.

**hana-chan18: **Tyki is so damn controlled it's quite unnerving. Ah yes, the start of school makes everyone die a little inside :'( But of course, with the twins around, it will only get more complicated for her, especially since Debi wants to get back at her.

**rainbowdragongirl101: **I'm happy you liked it!

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**Please, please, please review. The lack of them makes me feel down, especially since we're taking the state exams now. So pretty please - with sugar on top - review!**


	13. Squirrel!

**I am SO sorry I haven't updated in a whole month but school was killing me, especially since we had to take this really important test for getting into high school, so again, I'm sorry. This chapter shows most of the first day of school, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 13  
Squirrel!

"So therefore, 'a' equals two-hundred-and-forty-five."

"Sensei-"

"No questions."

"But I don't understand."

"Because you weren't listening. Moving on..."

Sticking her tongue out, Sonrisareina added to the rude gesture by sticking up a certain finger at the grouchy teacher who had his back facing her.

A hand grasped the female Diaz's palm and she looked up to see Kimi shaking her head - despite the smirk that was etched onto her face. Sighing exasperatedly, the Spanish girl made her middle finger retreat and rested her chin on her palms as she stared indifferently at the smart board, numbers and letters flashed on and off the screen, but of course, since she supposedly hadn't listened (even though every damn word the teacher had said was put in her notes), she didn't know what was happening.

She wondered how her mom was feeling, she'd been pretty sick for a while and, even though her condition was improving, her job (as the daughter) was to constantly worry about her well-being.

"Kimiaru, the answer to number seven is?"

"..."

"Kimiaru?"

"..."

"Kimiaru I am asking a question and I expect YOU to answer it!"

Penetrating golden eyes glared at the stick-like man, the brunette's tense jaw lifted and uttered a mere, "'A' equals five."

"Continue."

"'B' equals two."

"Continue."

"'C' equals sixty-five."

"Put them together and."

"The answer is (*SCREW YOU*) seventy-two."

"Good, now I expect you to have enough maturity to answer me when I've asked you a question. Am I understood?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. Class dismissed."

All eyes snapped to the clock to see that it was only thirty minutes into the lesson - nevertheless, the sound of zippers echoed throughout the room as people opened their bags and dumped the humongous algebra book in them. There was the scraping of chairs as students moved to stand up - then suddenly: laughing.

It was more like malicious chortling actually, the creepy professor shook his head twice before sighing contentedly, "I hope I didn't get any of your hopes up by announcing that. Everybody back in your seats! As you can see, the clock hasn't gone through seventy-five minutes so you are not entitled to leave. Do pages fifty-seven to sixty-two. All of them - begin."

Grumbling and whispered curses were heard as frustrated students sat back down in their previously unoccupied chairs.

"Freakin' jack-"

"Is there anything you want to say to me Ms. Diaz?"

"No Forusuke-sensei."

"Then begin!"

Incoherent profanities were what followed and a very pissed off Sonrisareina opened up her math notebook - one glance at the textbook told her that her lined page would remain blank, since, of course, the useless teacher hadn't explained a damn thing to them. All he had done was say what each one equals; how on earth were they supposed to understand if he didn't go into depth about it. She peeked at the Noah next to her and was dumbfounded to see her quickly and efficiently, writing down correct answers despite her hate for the subject - and, of course, the menacing scowl stuck on her face.

_'Weird.'_ The girl from Spain thought.

* * *

The staring was quite disturbing - to Debitto at least. His brother on the other hand, didn't seem to dislike it at all; in fact, Debi could feel his other half's brain coming to a conclusion.

The dark-haired twin was tapping his fingers against his desk and watching the thirty-nine-year-old physics teacher, eye her daughter who was filling in for her as she took an important phone call. The

seventeen-year-old female, however, was practically undressing Dero with her dark blue eyes.

The light-green haired girl had been pumped with physics ever since she was a child, both parents were teachers and it had been a priority that she learned the subject inside and out. So honestly, she didn't need to take this course but she did - only because there was a certain gilt-eyed boy in it.

"Jasdero, please tell us what causes red eye when someone takes a flash photograph." It was the eighth question she had asked during the class, and all were directed at the lounging blonde. He had answered every single one correctly of course, but to test out a possible theory, he tried something different.

Jasdero replied, "I'm sorry, I honestly don't know what the answer is," then with a sensual voice barely recognizable as his, he continued, "but I would sincerely appreciate it if you could tell me _**sen-sei."**_

A gasp was heard, an all-out blush was seen, and a bout of nervous giggles flowed out of Nana Atetsu's mouth as she tried (and failed) to suppress the crimson painting her - now scarlet - cheeks. "Uh-um...I mean-eto...th-the answer is-uhh...s-sorry I'm just a bit...what I mean to say is-um-"

"Mrs. Atetsu?"

Said woman covered the speaker of her phone and turned to the golden-haired teen, "what is it?"

"It's just that your daughter doesn't look to well."

Turning her head, the teacher caught sight of her red-faced, sweating daughter - stuttering and stammering over her words. She removed her hand from the cell, whispered something into it, flipped it closed and turned her attention back to the hyperventilating teenager before her.

"Nana? Nana?"

"Y-yes kaa-san."

"Are you okay? That's it; off to the nurse you go."

"Mrs. Atetsu?"

"Yes Jasdero?"

"How about _**I **_take her to the infirmary - you know, just in case she faints along the way."

"Please go ahead."

Standing up, the more submissive twin made his way to the flustered teen and gave her a delightful smile - despite the thread etched into his mouth. In the bat of an eye, he was carrying her - bridal style.

"Jasdero what are-" (Mrs. Atetsu)

"Just in case she faints." (Jasdero)

And the Noah was completely aware of the fact that she was even closer to passing out in his arms than when she was standing.

* * *

Debitto mentally applauded him; the ever-so-sweet blonde was taking clear advantage of the greenette's infatuation for him. Charming the emerald-haired-girl meant that a simple "I had a cold" could excuse him from physics homework - the female's over-caring nature would have her explaining the 'cold' as if it was a disastrous heart-attack to her mother, and of course, Mrs. Atetsu would gladly overlook anything her daughter told her to.

The dominant brother's kin turned slightly to the right and, for one brief moment, their eyes met. It was for a mere nano-second before Jas let his gaze land on the door and waltzed out with a certain teacher's child in hand.

_'Missing the rest of the lesson AND stealing the heart of Nana - very, very sly my dear brother.'_

Debi let his feet drop from the table and started paying attention to the older woman who resumed her teaching. Now that Dero was gone, he'd have to start listening so that he could absorb information for himself and his twin - he fished out a notebook from his bag, opened it, and started writing in neat, orderly cursive.

* * *

"What a freakin' retard! He has no idea how to teach whatsoever - heck, I could do a better job than him!" Sonrisareina was currently ranting to Kim about how hopeless the literature teacher was. In all actuality, he was quite smart, but the Spanish girl's low tolerance for over-dramatic-ness (which he used a whole lot due to the fact that they were doing Shakespeare's version of "Julius Caesar") had turned her view of him upside down.

Both were waiting in the cafeteria line and watching as the tables filled up, Kimiaru was trying - unsuccessfully - to drown out the red-head's incessant rambling and suddenly remembered why humans were so annoying. They talked too much!  
Of course, the reasoning part of her concluded that it was just the stress of school that had her thinking like that but she just wasn't bothered enough to care.

As soon as they reached the trays, the brunette quickly shoved her hand forward, grabbed a scone from the plate of the person in front of her, and stuffed it in the scarlet-haired girl's mouth.

A tap on her back made her turn and stare at the male who she'd swiped the pastry from.

It just happened to be the same guy who'd brushed shoulders with her when she was being hauled from her homeroom class to her least favorite subject.

The glare he directed at her quickly shifted into mild surprise, then clear amusement.

"Anything I can help you with?" (Kim)

He glanced at her, then at Sonrisareina who seemed to be choking on the stale object, then back at her and rubbed the back of his neck, "I dunno, that was kinda the last scone up here, I think I deserve some reimbursement."

A grin flitted onto Kimi's features - so a flirter huh? Well, well, well, this was going to be fun, "I believe that I had a better use for it, so I don't think I owe you anything at all."

"But you didn't even know what I was going to do with it, maybe I had to stick it into a friend's mouth too."

"Is that so? Unfortunately for you, I had an immediate emergency and had to make use of what was around me - so therefore, I'm pretty sure that it's **you **who has to pay **me** back for the accusations."

A smirk, "is your dream in life to become a lawyer by any chance?"

"A change of subject? That just proves your guiltiness, you definitely owe me now."

"What do you have in mind?"

"A little company for me and my friend of course, nothing drastic just because of a scone. An almost moldy one at that."

"I accept your terms."

"You had no other choice but to do as I say. May I get your name Mr. Accuse-and-lose?"

A deeper smirk. "Of course. Junichi Moitu."

With a satisfied smile, the sixteen-year-old turned back around to realize that her female companion's face was turning blue. A small gasp followed her discovery and she quickly smacked Sonrisareina's back so that the piece stuck in her trachea would lurch out.

"Sorry," was the sheepish apology she received from the French/German/Russian girl.

After getting their food, and a long, continuous string of apologies from Kimiaru, the Spanish child finally stopped shunning her, led them to a table and started eating with the new addition. Yes, Kim **was** telling a very interesting story, and yes, she **did **try to listen, but her attention always diverted to the drop-dead-gorgeous male sitting across from her.

* * *

It turned out that they were running late for their next class - both Kimi and Sonrisareina had finished eating on time, but their visit to the bathroom had stalled them enough to have them sprinting across the field to where their art class was about to begin.

Mr. Morioko told them to paint what flower they deemed most beautiful from the bunch surrounding them, and everyone was about to start.

"We're here! We're here!" The teenage Diaz panted; she slumped onto the floor and took a drawing pad that was passed to her from the pile next to a student. The brunette received one too and instantly began with a beautiful, red carnation.

No one noticed the furry animal scurry through the bushes, Kimiaru definitely didn't mind that there was an acorn close to her legs (she was sitting cross-legged/Indian style). The squirrel came closer and closer, slowing down it's pace when it saw the amount of people close to its property - steeling itself, the mammal ventured even more into the territory of the giant beings and made a grab for its nut.

* * *

The moment that the furry tail touched her foreleg, the scream was let out. The paintbrush fell, the pad fell, and all the bewildered students turned to the direction of the ear-piercing noise. A confused squirrel was standing, holding the acorn to its chest protectively as it gazed at the humans, but you couldn't say the same for the pupils.

Each head maneuvered to face a chestnut-haired female standing and shaking behind a tree. Slowly but surely, her eyes narrowed and various pebbles were lifted from the ground by her manicured hands.

Bullets. That was the perfect word to describe them. As soon as the first miniature rock was launched, it rocketed like a missile - aiming for the doe-eyed creature. It might have been animal instinct, or it might have been the fact that every pebble that landed created a mini explosion of dust, dirt, grass, and whatever else was on the floor - but regardless of the fact, that innocent little critter ran like his life depended on it. And honestly, that couldn't be closer to the truth.

* * *

Tyki Mikk smirked. Tyki Mikk scowled. Tyki Mikk chuckled. But never in his life had he ever outright laughed out loud - but that was what he was very tempted to do. From his spot in the sky, he watched his daughter literally leap ten feet backwards because of the mammal's tail brushing her skin. He saw as she regained control of her racing heartbeat, and was thoroughly amused when he watched the fury burn within her eyes - but the moment the stones came into contact with her hand, he decided that he wanted to take a closer look.

He strode over so that he was standing directly above the class and had a clear view of what was happening. Mini-bombs. That was the Portuguese man's word for it. I mean, what other term could you use for the tiny boulders that dived and destroyed the piece of earth they landed on?

It took a lot out of him to not lose it and guffaw like crazy, but then again, he **is **Tyki Mikk. And Tyki Mikk is an in-control man - it can't be anything else, considering the fact that he hasn't ripped his ever-so-annoying brother's throat out...yet.

"Tch." And with entertainment swimming in his eyes, the composed twenty-six-year-old walked away.

* * *

**CrimsonlightofDeath: **I absolutely love your story! The only problem with laughing fits are the after-effects, they hurt! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it, the test was really annoying, especially the math but I think I did okay. Update soon!

**rainbowdragongirl101:** The fact that they write 5s on Road's homework shows how smart they are! If they didn't she'd probably force them every single day to do it for her - what fun would that be xD Poor Kim, on her first day she gets her feet stuck to the ground - courtesy of Jasdebi. There are more tricks from them in the next chapter though! I'm happy you find this story interesting.

**Puppetmaster17:** I'm glad you like this story! The Revenge chapter was my absolute favorite to write ;D Hmm, a cross between a guinea pig and a chicken. Come to think of it, that might be quite cute =]

:Thank you so much!

**animallover171:** I'm happy you like it, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Camp-crystal-lake:** Arigato Gozaimasu!

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**In the next chapter you'll get to learn a little more about Kimiaru, like I said, she is a complex character and will have various inner conflicts with herself. Well, that's it for today, please review!**


	14. To The Therapist You Go

**AAAAAH I can't believe I've been away for so long! I'm so sorry for this but I actually have a plausible reason this time, first I wasn't allowed on the computer cause i got in trouble. This went on for about three weeks. then I moved country -_- Yes, believe it or not I did and it took a while for me to get internet too. Coupled with the fact that my new school gives me too much homework. tripled with the fact that I barely had any of the chapter done and had to think of what would happen (since I never make any story plans). So please forgive me for my delay, I really do apologize.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 14  
To The Therapist You Go

"Bon a rien, ennuyeux, mauvais, inutile, petit fils de un-" her rant in French came to an abrupt stop as she took in a deep breath and let go of the objects she used to assault a certain animal. (1)

**'**_**It's about time you stopped.'**_

'_The stupid fluff ball scared me.'_

_**'It's just a damn squirrel for goodness sake!'**_

_'Well please forgive my fear of those creepy thingamajigs."_

_**'I will not forgive your ridiculous fear!'**_

_'Then stop talking to me.'_

_**'Listen, I will NOT be the Inner Noah of someone who's afraid of tiny furry creatures, so suck it up! Furthermore, everyone's staring so you'd better come up with something convincing.'**_

She didn't waste any time, a few moments later, almost everyone was crowding around the brunette who had abruptly burst into tears and dropped to her knees.

"It's happening again! Make it stop!"

"Kim? Kim what's wrong?" Sonrisareina knelt beside the crying sixteen-year-old.

"It's happening again, I can't believe it's happening again," the water droplets rolled down her cheeks and made the act all the more believable, "the hallucinations have started again." The Noah ended on a quieter note and rubbed her forehead as if she felt a fever coming on.

Mr. Morioko wasn't convinced. Hallucinations? Of what? She had fired countless rocks at the squirrel (with very accurate precision - mind you) so it was obvious that nothing had influenced her vision, however, when his eyes met her deceptive golden ones, he couldn't help but **trust** her words and **believe** the show she was putting on.

The female Diaz rubbed her friend's back soothingly and frowned as she saw the chocolate-haired-girl's orbs glaze over, "hey, are you okay?"

"I think I'm gonna pass out."

* * *

Dodge-ball. Music to his evil, reckless, sadistic ears. Debitto was practically filled with glee as he heard the coach tell them that, that sport was what they were going to play for the whole month, and Jasdero had **conveniently **showed up in time before the teams were picked.

"So how was the infirmary?"

A wrinkle of the nose, "too sterile, not even a hint of blood in there - but it was worth it when I got to skip out on algebra too, _hee-hee."_

"And I believe you got in good graces with a certain someone."

A shrug, "Dero doesn't know what you're talking about," and an ever-so sly smile overtook his face.

"Jasdero and Debitto-"

"-Jasdebi! _Hee-hee-"_

Clearly disturbed by the outburst, the built instructor gave the blonde twin a nasty glare and continued, "-as I was saying, Debitto and Jasdero will be on different teams this time."

A murmur of surprise swept throughout the entire gym as the news spread, those two had never been split up before, and thus, always won everything. The twins, on the other hand, didn't seem too happy about it but grudgingly agreed - each went to the opposite side of the room, put one hand on the wall, and waited for everyone else to pick whose side they'd be on.

Once both groups were equal in numbers, the teacher moved to the door, blew his whistle and watched everyone run towards one of the six balls in the middle. With an almost sadistic fascination, he watched a student crumple to the ground after he had been hit by a ball from the blonde Noah - dodge-ball is such a wonderful sport.

* * *

She had never intended for this to happen - not at all - but if she went against it, then her whole "hallucinations" act would go down the drain and she would be found out.

_'How do I get myself into these situations?'_

_**'By being afraid of fluffy animals, now hush up - I don't want to talk to you.'**_

_'Stop bitching about my phobia!'_

_**'Do you want me to take control and send you on a killing rampage, 'cause if I hadn't helped you after your fight with that exorcist girl, you would have burned down your safe-house and I'd be in control all the time.'**_

_'Why didn't you let it burn?'_

_**'The Earl would probably strap you-me-us down so that no one from the Order takes advantage of the rampant state and kill you/me/us and how would I have any fun then?'**_

_'You seem pretty controlled for an Inner Noah.'_

_**'Just wait until you see me in action.'**_

Kim shivered the tiniest bit after that conversation; sometimes it was as if her and her Inner Noah were two different beings entirely. So as she sat and relaxed on the infirmary bed, she thought about how being what she is had affected her life, career, dreams and whatnot - however - before she could ponder over them too much, the school nurse walked in with the guidance counselor at her side.

"Mr. Dechi, this is Kimiaru," and in a hushed tone (that the brunette was able to hear perfectly fine - the nurse, however, had no idea), she continued, "the one with the...problem."

Nodding once, the male dismissed the loud lady in white and turned to the teenager, "hello, my name is-"

"-Mr. Dechi."

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled comfortingly, "you may just call me Kashi, I'll be your therapist and every other day - starting today - you'll see me after school for a month."

"But-"

"It's for your own good; I can help you get rid of your hallucinations. Now tell me, what do you see?"

Sighing, she made herself comfy on the hard bed and started her acting all over again, "when something remotely furry or hairy touches me, all I can envision is a huge hoard of grizzly bears."

"Grizzly bears? And where - if you have any idea - did that fear stem from?"

"When I was little...

* * *

The coach noticed, the students noticed, but no one said a word because - what could they say? 'Pick up a ball and throw it!' - tempting - but the last time someone had said that, then on the other side did and threw it right at the speaker. He was out of commission at the moment.

Honestly, all they did was dodge the incoming projectiles. Jasdero and Debitto simply moved around, gracefully avoiding each bouncy sphere - but they always had their eyes on each other. Suddenly, Debitto smiled. It wasn't a warm welcoming gesture, it was an evil grin that sent shivers throughout your body and soul - so when everyone heard the scream that sounded just like the one in the morning, they all knew that Jasdebi's new target was going to suffer greatly.

What they didn't expect, however, was the excruciating pain they received when they were promptly pelted by various dodge-balls. It seemed that after their dodging spree, the twins had gone back to their strategy of throwing agonizing spherical objects at their classmates.

It was unclear whether he imagined it or not since he was on the brink of fainting, but one of the boys who had just been hit by a round item thrown by Debi was almost sure that he saw the coach grin as the sound of a pained shout resounded off the walls of the gym. But he was probably imagining it anyway. Right?

And so the torturous game continued for the rest of the period, countless yelps were heard but no one paid any heed, they just fended for themselves and took cover whenever a ball would get into one of the brothers' hands.

* * *

"I see, I see," Kashi quickly jotted down a few things on his clipboard and stood up, "don't worry Kimiaru-san, I will help you with these hallucinations. I will see you the day after tomorrow. Goodbye."

Smiling and waving, Kim let out a frustrated huff as soon as he left the room. What a waste of time! She checked the time and saw that it was just a quarter to two.

_'I can't believe I missed forty-five minutes of one of the only subjects I enjoy.'_

The nurse walked in shortly afterwards, handed her a pass to get into class without the teacher having a fit, and dismissed her. As soon as the brunette was outside, however, she stopped dead in her tracks and gazed at the critter sitting before her, for some strange reason it had golden eyes, and with a sudden poof of smoke, it turned into a slip of paper. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she walked forward and picked up the flimsy material.

The words were bold and all too clear: **HOPE YOU LIKED THE DISPLAY OF OUR MATERIALIZATION - LOVE DEBITTO AND JASDERO. P.S. DERO DIDN'T KNOW KIMI-CHAN LIKED FURRY ANIMALS, KIMI-CHAN SHOULD TELL DERO STUFF LIKE THAT OKAY? **_**HEE-HEE. **_

For a moment Kimiaru just stared at the word "Love Debitto" and her mind went haywire.

The only thing that snapped her out of her trance was the rest of the note. Innocent little Jasdero had been duped by his brother into thinking that the sixteen-year-old liked fluffy little rodents, when in fact, the darker-haired twin knew fully well she was terrified of them.

"Debitto!"

* * *

"Bye!"

"Bye!" Road waved to Fudari and jogged over to the Porsche where her uncle was relaxing.

The Portuguese man turned to the eldest that had seated herself in the passenger seat and smiled, "so how was your first day back at school?"

"It was so much fun! Although, Kiki broke her ankle after she fell down the stairs."

"Really?"

"Yup, it was right after we finished playing tether-ball during recess."

"Who won?"

"She did, but everyone thinks she cheated because the fall might have been," Road's eyes glinted deviously, "karma."

"And do you think it's karma?"

"Who knows?"

Shaking his head, Tyki let a smirk overtake his face as he got the full meaning of what his niece was trying to say - oh what an evil little child she was.

There was a loud _thump_ as something hard made contact with his priceless car. Now, Tyki Mikk wasn't one who treated his car as if it were his own child, but the thing was mega-expensive and some bratty kid was NOT going to put a dent in the smooth vehicle. He was out in a flash and apprehended his daughter as she flailed and thrashed her hands about, trying to reach for Debitto who was currently pressed against the Porsche.

"Let go! I'm gonna kill this son of a-"

"Now, now Kimiaru, within the duration that I am your father, you will not speak those crude words in public. Have you understood?"

A huff, a scowl, a sigh, and finally, "yes I understand otou-san."

"Good. Into the car you go." He opened the door for the backseat and let her get inside, then signaled for one of the twins to get in. Jasdero did the honor of sitting in the middle, and after everyone was settled in, they drove off.

"How was school today?" (Tyki)

"Fine." (Jasdebi)

"Kim?"

"...Eventful."

The moment Debi let a snicker out of his mouth, a hand (belonging to a certain brunette) swiftly latched onto his neck and squeezed until it was wrenched off by the blonde Noah.

"Kimi-chan, please don't kill my brother, _hee-hee._"

Another set of huffs, scowls and sighs rebounded off the walls of the automobile.

"Debi, what did you do to Kimiaru?" (Road)

"Nothing!"

"Bullshi-"

"Kimiaru." (Tyki)

"Sorry, I meant that, that's not true."

"When it was time for grammar," the female Kamelot started, "I heard her scream your name. And it happened again before the last period."

Debi brought out a moist towelette from a compartment in the car and started wiping the make-up around his eye while a grin split his face, "you know_, _there are a lot of ways to make someone scream, and all I have to ask you is - how sure are you the scream wasn't out of pleasure?"

Right after that sentence was out, he was hit square in the head with a giant algebra book, "YOU FOUL MOUTHED PERV - I'LL KILL YOU!" The car swerved into a random parking lot and Kim was quickly and efficiently, grabbed - from the outside - by her dad and had her arms and legs phased into a tree to keep her from maiming certain someone. The injured seventeen-year-old, on the other hand, was groaning and moaning because of the pain he'd received from the impact of the throw.

Road walked up to her cousin and put her hands on her hips, but when she spoke, all the childishness in her voice was gone. "Kim, I love you and all, but you really have to learn to control yourself. I want to go home so that I can see daddy and relax, I don't need the car stopping every time Debi makes a stupid remark, which, let's face it, is ALL the time, but I'm getting really tired of this. Once in a while is fine, but it's getting much too much so keep your temper in check for a while - understand?"

A nod.

"Good. Tyki! Come get her out of the tree!" The playfulness was back and the iciness was gone, but the youngest still felt chills run up her spine. She hadn't been with the Noahs for more than a few weeks and Jasdebi had been with them for years, so even though it was never mentioned, she knew that they cared more about them than her because they'd lived with the others for more time - the fact that her process of becoming a full Noah wasn't complete yet added to the gap of her relationships between them all. She only had five stigmata across her fore-head, not the usual seven, the Earl told her they would form in time and that she just had to wait - her lack of hatred towards exorcists was another thing that singled her out, sure she had wanted to rip Lenalee's throat off, but that was just because of her hair, and nothing more.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a pair of ebony eyes staring at her. Turning her head, she was met with the sight of a curious - **normal** - squirrel.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Help me! GET ME OUT PLEASE!" She was yanked out and stumbled a few steps back, away from the chinchilla-like animal. Kim was led into the car by her father, all the while keeping her gaze trained on the creature so as to make sure it didn't follow them. Once she was back inside, she let out a relieved breath and started rubbing the back of her aching neck - however, a strong feeling of misplacement washed over her and she couldn't help but to feel a little...apprehensive around her new "family".

* * *

Debi wasn't sure if the others noticed but he did, all throughout the ride back home the brunette sat huddled against the door of the Porsche while staring at her feet. Even during dinner time she kept quiet, normally she was one of the most animated talkers, and the fact that she was consistently bored should have had her pestering someone for something to do.

The fact of the matter was that ever since Tyki rescued her from the nut-eating mammal, she seemed to be very uncomfortable around them - she was uneasy all throughout supper and hadn't eaten much, whereas she would usually have gone through the appetizer, main meal, and dessert whole-heartedly. As soon as the plates were all cleared up, she declared that she was going straight to bed and had left hurriedly, only he and Tyki had realized it and the twenty-six-year-old had asked if she was okay - of course the response was "yes" but suspicion clouded over the Portuguese man's eyes.

Nevertheless, he had left it at that but it was clear that he didn't believe that vague answer.

The dark-haired twin didn't like not knowing things, and in order to know what was wrong with the girl who'd just left, he decided interrogation was best - so he thought confronting her would be the least complicated thing to do.

After twenty minutes of boredom, he left the dining table and headed up the spiral staircase. It would be annoying if she really was asleep because he'd have to wait to question her, but he wasn't the type to just rudely wake a person up so he carefully and quietly opened the door.

Kim had her back facing the door, a light pair of boy shorts were on but she was still pulling on a lose shirt - unfortunately for her, it had been high enough for Debitto to see her tattoo. Instead of the kanji symbol of happiness, the kanji symbol of fear was displayed neatly across her skin.

He stepped inside and slammed the door shut.

The brunette spun around to see him staring at her, eyes questioning and demanding an answer.

* * *

**(1) Bon a rien, ennuyeux, mauvais, inutile, petit fils de un- = Good for nothing, annoying, bad, useless, small son of a-**

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**rainbowdragongirl101: ** Thank you for the review! Huh, about the Allen thing, I might have to pull Jasdero, Debitto, Road and Kim out of school for that to happen, but that won't be too much of a problem, though you might have to wait a few chapters.

**Camp-crystal-lake:** My updating will be fluctuating from average to slow cause of school :( I'm so happy this story made you laugh, and thank you :D

**Soulless Ghosty: ** Yup, squirrels are another pet peeve of hers. I'm now wondering if i should add bunnies to the picture :D I'm glad you like this whole school thing.

**xXfluffyXx013:** I've been there before, being sick sucks :P I'm happy you think this story's funny, I hope you continue to read!

**CrimsonLightOfDeath:** Amazing idea! I'm definitely going to do that, just be ready to face charges when the city of Tokyo tells you that you are being sent to jail for being the indirect cause of a scream that made everyone deaf.

**SaMileLii: ** Debi's awesome, no one can not love him. I'm glad you like the story, thank you!

**PuppetMaster17: ** Lol, the scone and the squirrel should have been the name of the chapter. Who knew Jasdero could be such a womanizer...

**xXxNeonSoundxXx:** Thank you so much! All I read was one wonderful thing after another in you comment :D I've been through the whole 'there are no more good stories about this person' thing before, I'm happy you like this one.

**Wolfy0122: ** You got more! :D

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**My dear reviewers, favouriters and alerters, I love every single one of you (maybe the reviewers a little bit more xD) so please keep reading and review, review, review :D The next chapter won't really have humour in it, a little bit of drama sets in but it's nothing compared to what will happen in chapters to come. **


	15. A Mace And Batons

**Forgive me my dear readers! I am extremely sorry I haven't updated in literally months! My new school is killing me! Being put in advanced math SUCKS even though I'd be depressed if I got put in the average group - averageness bores me. That's probably why all my friends are insane...**

**Anyway, again, I'm really sorry for the lack of updates; but, Spring Break starts today and I'll have all the time I need - I can't wait!**

**Just a little heads up about this chapter: I WAS planning for some kind of heartfelt talk with Debitto and Kimiaru, but a new idea popped in and I think it's better. They WILL have their talk, however, it will probably be in Chapter 17 or 18.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter: 15

A Mace And Batons

"Ne, Tyki, why did Kimi-chan run off?"

"I don't know Road."

"Did anyone upset her?" Cyril asked, dragging a spoon around in his pudding.

The eldest tapped her chin a few times and tilted her head sideways, "well, Debi was bothering her a bit but I don't think that's the problem."

"Then what do you believe the problem is?"

"I dunno," she simply shrugged and slumped in her seat, "but if she doesn't cheer up soon, then she'll get sick."

Tyki's attention perked at that certain bit of information and he eyed his niece questionably, "what do you mean?"

"Well, since Kim's the Noah of Merriment, then she kinda has to be happy all the time. I guess you could say she gets punished if she's not. That's not really the best word but it's the only one I can think of that describes what happens; if she feels any emotion strongly other than joy, she sort of shuts down. Stop looking at me like that! I can't explain it well okay?"

The eldest huffed and crossed her arms - why did no one get what she was trying to say?

Jasdero suddenly looked up and frowned, "Debi isn't happy," he winced slightly and slowly his hands clutched his head. Groaning, the blond added, "He's pulled out his gun."

"I'll take care of it." The Portuguese man stood up and started towards the staircase. When he was out of sight, the diplomat let a smirk - akin to his brother's - take over his face as he finally lifted the spoon towards his lips; he supposed he was the only one who noticed the quick pace in which his male sibling took off.

It was about time the father-daughter bond set in.

* * *

He watched her make a not-so-graceful spin to face him - she was very clumsy when surprised - get her leg caught in her duvet that had slipped onto the floor, let out a small yelp, and fall.

With an eyebrow raised, the dark-haired-teen stared at the girl unwind herself from the tangled mess and slowly get to her feet - she stumbled a bit before steadying herself and facing the intruder.

Before he could even utter a word - whether to criticize her for her fall or ask her about the tattoo - she glared at him and started speaking.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? I was changing!" The brunette was practically fuming, her face was flushed out of anger and her fists were balled up so tight that her knuckles were white. A prominent scowl replaced the straight line that used to be her mouth and her golden eyes shone with fury, irritation and...fear?

Fear. As soon as he saw it in those gilt orbs, the shock from her outburst diminished, and for some unknown reason, it just made his blood boil. A whisper echoed in his head, at first it was almost completely imperceptible and muffled, but slowly, as if it were a memory, the faded word became clearer and clearer.

_**Traitor**_

The moment the word became audible, a painful string of memories flowed throughout his skull. Recollections of the 14th's betrayal resurfaced from his subconscious and melded into his vision - instead of seeing sixteen-year-old Kimiaru, Neah Walker stood in front of him; hatred coursed throughout his very being at the sight of the person who had deserted the Noah Family.

In a flash, Debitto had whipped out his gun and had it aimed at the only other figure in the room. Three shots were fired.

* * *

She took four deep breaths to calm herself down and sighed heavily. She guessed that she shouldn't have screamed at him like that, but it just wasn't right for him to just waltz into her room as if it were his.

Kimiaru massaged her temples - her eyes directed at the floor. She opened her mouth to voice an apology before she looked up. The words died on her tongue as her gaze landed on the pistol pointed straight at her - what on earth was he doing? Was he trying to scare her? Was he mad that she'd yelled at him? She knew it wasn't any of those, she'd thrown him over a table, tossed a chair at him, hurled a book at him, tried to strangle him, but she'd never, ever seen a fury in him like she did now.

Debitto's eyes were clouded over and the scowl on his face slowly split, the trademark Noah grin took its place and a jolt of dread filled the brunette's system. Yes, she was afraid of little furry animals, yes, the earl's never-ending smile spooked her a bit, but nothing in the entire world was as scary as what was before her. She took a step back and he took a step forward, his hand tightened on the handle, his finger pulled the trigger and three red bombs rocketed out of the weapon.

The next series of events happened very quickly: The first red bomb was mysteriously blown to the right, Kimiaru was yanked out of the way of the other two, Debitto dropped the gun, Tyki (still holding on to his daughter's hand) was looking at her curiously, Cyril, Road and Jasdero burst in, and Lulu Bell appeared in her cat form, on the window ledge.

"What on earth is going on here?" the Kamelot male asked.

Lero, who flew out from under the bed, started his explanation. "Kimiaru-sama finished changing _Lero_, and Debitto-sama walked in _Lero_, then Kimiaru-sama shouted at him, then Debitto-sama became angry and started shooting..._Lero._"

The diplomat stared at the two causes of commotion - looking one over, then the other. All of a sudden, he burst into tears of happiness and barreled towards his new relative.

"Kimi-ch_aaaaaaaaaaa_n!" A look of absolute horror would have taken over her face, and she would have bolted into the bathroom for protection against bone-crushing hugs from her uncle, but she was still in shock. The chocolate-haired girl was trembling - it was hard to see, but since the Portuguese man was holding onto her, he could feel it. The youngest was also having trouble standing, her father was supporting her the whole time (since she unconsciously leaned into him) and gave her leverage to keep her knees from giving out and just buckling altogether.

Cyril had come to a stop by now, he knew that this wasn't the time for dramatics and motioned for the eldest to follow, "feel better Kimi-chan," they both chorused, and disappeared down the staircase; the black cat that had previously been relaxing on the ledge had sauntered away and that left Jasdevi, Tyki and Kim. No one said a word for a few moments, before the adult decided to break the silence.

"Anyone want to explain to me what happened? Kim? Debitto? Anyone?" He looked around expectantly - first to the dark-haired male who was staring at his hand, puzzled (he was back to his normal self), then at the shaking brunette, and finally let his eyes travel to the ceiling. Countless batons filled the space above them, twirling non-stop and floating up and down as if they were bobbers for a fishing rod. "Well what do you know," he murmured and turned his gaze towards the (now less jittery) sixteen-year-old. At her feet sat a beautiful twirling mace, it was 54 inches long with a polished mahogany cane and silver plated head - the word 'Merriment' was engraved into the head and seven different colored flowers decorated the top, a crown rested atop them diagonally as if it had been haphazardly thrown on; it had a silver plated ferrule and a strip of gold spiraled down to the platinum tip.

"Kimiaru? Kimiaru-chan? Musume?" after calling her name a few times, she turned to look at him - her breathing was still heavy and her unoccupied arm was placed against her rapidly beating heart, but she was more calm than she had been a few minutes ago. "Feeling better?" he asked, giving her palm a reassuring squeeze.

"Y-yeah. A little bit." And with that, she was whisked out of the room by her father.

* * *

"Debi," Jasdero sat on the singed bed with his brother and rubbed his back. "Debi, what did you see?" The golden-haired boy knew not to ask what had happened since everybody pretty much knew, all he wanted to find out was what had infiltrated his twin's mind that was bad enough to make him pull out his gun. "Debi, talk to Dero."

"I saw him."

"Who?"

"Him," He turned his face towards his more submissive half and the blonde's eyes widened. The ravenette looked so lost and defeated that his kin almost didn't believe it was him; flopping backwards onto the bed, the most light-hearted of the two looked up to the ceiling (the batons and mace had disappeared when Kim had left) and spoke.

"Pull it together Debi, what's done is done and it can't be changed." The bright-haired seventeen year old let out a small, humorless giggle, "see, I can't even laugh right, now you've got me all depressed about the 14th." He suddenly stood up and pushed his brother down, "get some sleep, you barely got any yesterday. I'll take care of our homework and I'll wake you up when dinner is ready."

* * *

"Sit right here and don't move."

"Okay," the brunette stared up at her father as he backed away from her. When he was a good distance apart in the huge, empty room, he let a tease emerge from his hand.

The sixteen-year-old tilted her head to the side and watched the striped butterfly thing (the one with the skull in the middle) fly out; three more followed immediately after, and soon, the whole room was filled with them.

"Otou-san, what are you doing?"

"Helping you my dear, though, for a few minutes, it might seem like I'm trying to kill you."

She was just about to ask what he meant before she saw the flying objects charge up beams at their wing tips, "oh no."

"Remember, it's for your own good!"

It was just then that she realized why the doors had been locked upon their arrival; she shook her head once, and pinched herself twice just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and unfortunately for her, she wasn't. So, considering the fact that she was about to be blasted full of holes, and panic was shooting through every nerve in her body, it was highly predictable that she would take off running, and she did.

* * *

"Please!"

"No."

"But-"

"Absolutely not."

"Lulu Bell!"

"No, I will not help you prepare dessert."

"But it's for Debitto."

"I don't care who it's for, I won't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to begin." The feline-like female walked away and left the seventeen-year-old behind her.

Sighing, Jasdero crossed out her name in his head and turned in the opposite direction, "time to find Cyril."

* * *

She jumped, sprinted, stopped, ran the other way, flipped, leaped, but she knew it wouldn't work for long since her father was STILL letting his creepy, multi-colored butterflies exit from his body.

"Will you stop pulling out teases from the bottomless pits you call arms!" Was it just her, or did they start coming out faster? Yup, they were faster.

And then the most cliché and idiotic thing that could have ever occurred, happened. She tripped.

_**'Dumbass.'**_

_'Go away!'_

* * *

"Okay, let's see. Lulu Bell said no, Cyril used a bunch of fancy diplomatic words that more or less meant no, Road threatened to kill me since I walked in on her pre-bedtime tea party, and even Lero refused." The blonde paused and slapped a hand to his forehead, what was he thinking? He didn't have to ask from the annoying umbrella's opinion; all he had to do was grab him!

The aforementioned parasol came shooting down the stairs, screaming. He was dressed in cute panda pajamas that prevented him from opening and an adorable, frilly sleeping cap.

"Lero, get back here!" the eldest's voice sounded from the top of the staircase and her arms were folded across her chest, a menacing scowl was pasted across her face and the two beings that were staring at her paled to an unhealthy shade of white.

Jasdero mentally crossed Lero off the list and took off down the hall - knowing Road and her lack of patience, he was pretty sure candles would start plummeting down the tall flight of stairs.

* * *

Kimiaru creaked an eye open to see if her body was full of holes. Instead, she found the same mace from before at her side and the spinning batons, deflecting the various pink beams away.

Slowly her hand reached towards the long object lying next to her and clutched it firmly with her right hand; the smooth wood actually had a warm, calming feel to it and a small but greatly appreciated sense of security.

_**'Now you sound like a depressed poet.'**_

_'Shove off will you!'_

_**'Yeesh, here I am trying to tell you all your faults so that you can fix them and you aren't even grateful!'**_

_'Just get out of here you pain.'_

_**'Well then!'**_

Suddenly, the teases stopped firing their annoyingly accurate balls of energy and retreated back into their master's open palms; Tyki walked across the room and knelt down on one knee next to the person surrounded by flying, spinny things.

"Just as I thought - when you're in danger of death, they appear."

"I'm not speaking to you."

"Musume, I was just trying to help you, you have to believe me, I am your dad after all, now open up."

"How?" Came the muffled voice from inside.

"Will it to open."

"Okay...how?"

"Oh dear, okay, command them to poof away in your head."

"Alright, give me a sec."

* * *

Jasdero sneaked up the stairs with a chocolate mousse in his hands - spoon already inside. He tiptoed into Kim's room and found two akuma already fixing up the walls, Debitto, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. He then ventured off to the room he shared with his brother and found his other half stretched out on the floor with the mattress of his bed under him, his gaze was fixed on the chandelier bolted to the roof that had his favorite shirt (that had gone missing months ago) draped over one side.

"Debi, want some dessert?" A mere shake of the head was his answer and the long-haired twin's eyebrow rose. In the blink of an eye, he was on top of the darker-haired boy and was jamming spoons of the delicacy into his mouth. "I almost got drilled with candles, beaten by an akuma cook who mistook me for another greedy akuma, scratched and scarred by Lulu Bell whose tail I stepped on, and pecked by my chicken when I ventured too close to his egg JUST to get YOU this mousse. You will eat it and enjoy it or else I will not help you put green goo in Kimiaru's locker on Monday!"

A miniature, ghost of a smile touched Debitto's face through the spoonfuls he was being forced to take and that was enough to get Dero to let out a lively '_hee-hee_' which both siblings had missed.

* * *

The moment one baton started to flare red, Tyki jumped back 8 feet and watched them all simultaneously explode. Once the smoke cleared, his daughter was lying flat under her - now twirling - mace. Her pretty golden eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly agape.

"What just happened? I thought I was making them poof."

"It's kind of difficult when you first get your weapon."

"Weapon?"

"They protected you from me didn't they?"

"Oh," the brunette furrowed her eyebrows for a minute, and then her face lit up, "so you weren't trying to kill me!"

"Not at all, now up you go, I have to help you learn how to use it."

"Awesome!" The youngest Noah was as giddy as anyone could get, she finally got something all her family members had and it made her feel all the happier that it was an item she absolutely loved. Twirling batons and maces had been a favorite pastime of hers and now that she got to use it during a fight that made going against her opponents more of a joy.

She probably didn't notice that the feeling of apprehension and misplacement had simmered away, but she would when she saw that her tattoo had changed from fear, back to happiness - just how it belonged.

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**Wolfy0122: **You got more!

**soulbella: **I'm glad you liked the car part, it took me a while to write it up.

**CrimsonlightofDeath: **Missy, if I remember correctly, there is an amazing story called "The 35 Ways" that I have been dying to read a new chapter for. And thank you so much for the review.

**Zimmybaby: **Thanks!

**Soulless Ghosty: **I'm sorry no heart-to-heart convo in this one (there will be one in the future) but, just for you, there'll be a little romance *cough*sexualharassment*cough* in Chapter 17 ;D

**Zimmybaby:** Tell your eyes I said sorry!

**cheshirekadi:** I hope I spelt that right. Thanks a lot for your review

**izayaluver:** Thank you, I appreciate it!

**MikaUchiha:** Updated!

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**Again, sorry for the delay. I just got home right now and I'm very upset with the grade I got on my math test (81%) and I actually thought I had done well when I took it! Anyway, Spring Break is FINALLY here and I can't wait to relax. Well I hope you enjoyed it, personally I think i could have done better with this chapter but...**

**Review!**


	16. Filler

**I knew holidays passed fast but I didn't realize they went by just like that! I honestly thought that I'd be able to post at least three chapters during Spring Break but no such luck. Only two days to go and back to school :'( Anyway, this chapter is just as its title says - it's a filler. There's nothing special about it and it's insanely short but I have to write it so that the next chapter is understandable. Due to its shortness, the next chapter will be longer than a regular chapter and will contain the - well, harassment is a strong word...but it fits. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter: 16**

_**Filler**_

"One, two, three and...pull!" The two males did what was said - one gripping one leg and the other gripping another leg - and hauled the groggy female off the bed.

"Owww," Kimiaru whined, her face twisted into a grimace and her eyes opened grudgingly, almost as if it was painful. "It's S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y. We started school yesterday and since you kept me up all night with the weapon training, I want to SLEEP!"

"Aww, my dear niece, I'm sorry that my ever-so inconsiderate brother kept you awake throughout all the hours of the night, but you have to help repaint the walls of the very room that YOU trained in. So instead of trudging downstairs looking like a ferret, you can wash yourself up, make yourself look pretty and loathe your father from the inside - occasionally sending him death glares."

The brunette raised an eyebrow and contemplated the offer.

_'Don't tell me she's actually thinking about doing that. She's my daughter for goodness sake!' _(Tyki)

"Well, are you going to take my advice Kimi-chan?" Cyril asked.

* * *

The diplomat snickered as the Portuguese man was sent another scathing look from the youngest Noah. Tyki didn't know that the only reason he had such an influence over Kimiaru was because he was the father of Road - you know, the evil girl who can destroy you from the inside out; yeah, that one. The sixteen-year-old was dressed in a black camisole and camouflage pants, her bare feet slapped against the tile floor as they headed down the hallway to the twins' room.

Kim stopped a few feet short of their door; her father glanced at her momentarily, nodded as if to say 'it's all right' and let her keep her distance - he knew she was still jumpy about the day before, and he respected the fact that she was a little bit scared. He knocked once, twice, then when there was no answer, phased his arm through the wood and opened it easily; Jasdero was slipping a green polo over his head while his brother was standing on a chair, reaching for the shirt strewn across the ceiling fan. After a whole bunch of stretching, his fingers finally caught a sleeve of the annoying piece of clothing and he yanked it down into his waiting arms - Cyril saw the edge of the fan give the dusty object a long, horrid gash down the front, but of course, Debitto didn't seem to notice.

Both boys turned to face the intruders simultaneously and Jasdero smiled.

"Good-morning _hee-hee._" The blonde slipped his gun into his pocket, put a finger to his lip as if thinking, brought the pistol back out and pointed it at his brother - of course, the dark-haired twin mirrored the action.

"Feeling better Debi?" the Earl (who poofed up out of nowhere!) asked, he was floating just two feet from the floor with the usual smile stuck to his face. A nod was his answer but apparently, that just wasn't going to cut it.

"Oh no! You're too traumatized to talk aren't you?" Cyril exclaimed in horror. The Earl mulled over the thought for a bit, grabbed the dark-haired twin by the shirt and dragged him off to who-knows-where - muttering that he would revive poor, 'traumatized' Debitto back to his normal self. Of course, Debitto tried to crawl away but that proved futile when he was slung over the shoulder of the fat man and whisked away.

Kimiaru felt a poke at her side and she looked up to see the Portuguese man ready to speak.

"And you thought I was evil." That was all her father had to say and she knew that was all she would get from him, but even though she was still mad at him for getting an early wake up call, she had to agree. What other term could you use for someone who decided to (purposefully) get one of their family members taken away by the Earl?

_**"You honestly shouldn't be surprised, I mean come on, he's Road's dad for goodness sake. Some of her evil had to rub off on him sooner or later."**_

_"I guess..."_

* * *

She was, for lack of better word, absolutely fuming. How on earth could she have fallen for the trick so easily? It should have been clear that when both her uncle AND her father said they were leaving and would be 'right back', then obviously, they WEREN'T coming back.

Her hand was aching from going up and down the wall with the roller - not to mention the fact that the job of fixing the holes in the walls wasn't done too fell and dents/ridges kept disturbing the path of her paint roller. Then suddenly, out of the blue, Jasdero dropped his brush and sauntered towards the door.

"Jasdero? Jasdero? JASDERO?" the brunette called.

Said teen turned around with a bright smile adorning his face, "I'm really bored so I'm leaving, _hee-hee_." Kimiaru stared after the skipping male until he disappeared then blinked twice. This was her situation: she had been abandoned by Tyki, Cyril, and Jasdero, Road and Lulu-Bell were nowhere to be found, Debitto was still being held captive by the Earl, and she was stuck there painting the walls. She would have left, but the Earl had specifically said that at least one person had to be working in the room because he wanted it finished by - latest - weekend's end since he was hosting a ball on Monday. And, of course, it turned out that SHE was the only person who was there at the moment, and therefore, could not leave.

Dipping her tool into the tray that had the golden paint, she spread it against the wall she'd been working on for the past three hours and let out a small cry of relief when she met the corner. One of the annoyingly giant walls was done and she was grateful for it. The brunette didn't let her mind remind her that there were still three more to go (as well as the columns) because that would have just annoyed her to the point of throwing a monumental tantrum which included breaking many, many things.

Golden eyes darted to the lavender watch upon its owner's slim wrist. Frowning, she deduced the amount of time it would take for her to finish at least half of the room (leaving the rest for the next day) and wasn't very happy when she got her answer. "How am I going to make it in time for the show?"

"What show?" Road had stretched herself out on Lero and looked completely relaxed. Her eyes were closed and she was humming a quiet but eerie tune - something akin to what you'd hear when the serial killer is about to chop off the head of the unsuspecting teenager in scary movies. "Well Kimi-chan, what show are you talking about?"

"I have a runway show in two hours and I need to be there now for all the fittings, practice and instructions."

"Then go!"

"But I can't; the Earl said that at least one person has to remain painting the walls and everyone else abandoned me!"

"I'll take over for you."

One blink. Then another. Then a third just for emphasis, "are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Due to the fact that Road was a very...vengeful female, Kim decided not to answer - for fear of her life.

The female Kamelot smiled, knowing it would send shivers down the youngest's spine and stood up on the whining orange parasol, "I'm serious, you can go, I'll take care of this."

If Kimiaru was an attentive girl, and wasn't as impatient as she was at the moment, then she would have caught the grin threatening to burst from Road's lips. But she didn't.

Speeding down the hall, the brunette called out a "thank you" and headed to her room. A moment later, she was back out with a peach-colored duffel bag and was back in front of the still-smirking female on Lero.

"Can you-"

"Yup, address please."

"151 Matakirana Street, Nagasaki."

"Alrighty then." The eldest's signature door formed and opened - without any hesitation at all, the sixteen-year old jumped in and arrived at her wanted destination.

A man clad in blue and black clothes was next to a door and let his eyes wander around the location. The moment he caught sight of Kimiaru, his face brightened; rushing over, he caught her wrist and dragged her in saying how she had a lot of explaining to do and that she should get started on her hair.

* * *

Road waited for four minutes after her cousin went through her door before she opened her mouth. "Milleni!"

Not only did the Earl appear right away, Lulubell, Tyki, Cyril, Jasdero and Debitto all zoomed in - wondering what had gotten her to scream.

Pouting, the evil Noah began her act, "Kimi-chan left without telling anybody. She said that she needed my door to see if she could paint it on the wall then she just disappeared!"

Tyki raised an eyebrow as Lulubell left due to the sheer ridiculousness she had just heard.

Jasdero laughed, "there's no way she'd be able to trick you like that, _hee-hee, _what do you _really _want?"

"Well, she went to a modeling show and I wanted to watch," the pout disappeared and childish eagerness took its place, "c'mon, let's go see her! Please daddy."

"If she wishes it," Cyril declared, "then it must be done!" He flung the twins over his shoulders as if they were rag dolls, grabbed the arm of his brother and held the palm of his daughter, then leaped through the strange door.

* * *

**Told you it was short, but like I said, the next chappie will make up for it**

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**lollipopswithcreamandpie:** Thank you so much for your review. I'm really happy you like the story and Kimiaru. The teasing in chapter 10 was a whole lot of fun to write and you're right, I did mention the video camera there. Thanks for telling me about that and reminding me about the whole 1800's thing - I tend to forget stuff like that a lot. Again, thank you for your wonderful review.

**Wolfy0122:** No problem, and thanks!

**xXxNeonSoundxXx:** Yes, her tattoo changes to the emotion that she's feeling the strongest. The 'Two Noahs in one' thing is more like her **Inner Noah** and her normal self - Just like Tyki's light and dark side. Thank you for your review :D

**rainbowdragongirl101:** Well, if I torture Debitto, then I have to torture Kimi-chan too ;D Kim is just the Noah of Merriment but her tattoo changes to the emotion she's feeling strongest. The question about 14th will be answered in the A/N :)

**Luminous Circus:** This might be your favourite story? Yay! You just made me feel SO happy right now. Huh, Kimiaru could be a difficult character to figure out but she herself will become very confused and have inner conflicts with herself.

**harvestfactory15:** A new reader! I'm so happy!I'm glad that you like this fic and that you don't think the characters are OOC since sometimes I think I've screwed up their personalities. Things are gonna heat up in the next chapter...

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**Okay, so one of you awesome reviewers asked why Debi saw Kim as the 14th and I thought I should answer it like this so that everyone understands.** **The fact that Kimiaru showed fear when with her Noah family made Debi's Inner Noah question why. One possible answer could be because she was hiding something. That triggered memories of the 14th's betrayal to resurface since he hid all the things he did and that let out Debi's Inner Noah - which he couldn't control. If that explanation was confusing then please tell me and I'll be happy to explain it again. I hope you liked this short little thing. Review and I'll try to push my next update date to Sunday. Review!**


	17. Drama During Modeling

**I actually meant to update last Sunday but stuff got in the way -.- I'm actually really happy that it only took a little more than a week to update instead of a month and I made it longer because of the shortness of the previous chapter :D So, as promised, a little perverted Debi action in this chapter ;D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Drama During Modeling**

"Strut, strut, strut! Pose! Turn! Walk two steps! Pose! Walk off stage! Next!"

Kimiaru sighed as she watched one of the models trip ever so slightly and earn a loud scolding from the designer. Natane Botomi was very talented - that couldn't be denied - but his huge temper and perfectionist ways tended to overshadow his skills quite a lot; now, Kim is not patient in the slightest and detests being screamed at, but the fact that she barely screws up when doing her job made her less of a target than the other girls.

"You are fired! Get off the stage!"

All movement seemed to halt as Parva Ricci, the utmost best model there, let her jaw drop open at the words being said to her. "I-I-I'm fired?"

"Sluggish and annoying, what a shame. Now get off my catwalk!"

Parva's eyes narrowed and her hand was gliding through the air without a second's notice. Before it could connect with Natane's cheek, however, it was caught by security and she was quickly hefted out.

"Do all of you want to get fired?" Natane stared around accusingly at those who had paused at their work stations; it didn't matter whether they had been working or not, everyone went into overdrive to avoid a verbal lashing from the unappeased fashioner. Standing up from her seat, the brunette slipped her feet back into the uncomfortable heels she would have to strut with and disappeared into the dressing room.

"Kimberly, show me all the outfits I'm putting on tonight."

* * *

"Road...where are we?"

Looking at her family like they were blind, she slapped her forehead and gestured around, "where does it look like we are?"

Jasdero blinked twice and looked at his surroundings - a smile split his face as he stared directly ahead at the building in front of him, "Ice-cream store!"

"Exactly," smiling, the female Camelot entered the shop without anyone's consent, but of course, they all had to follow, "now let's see, I want this one, no, this one, no, **this** one! Is that caramel over there? Yes? I want it!"

Debitto, deciding he might as well take advantage of the situation before him, hurried over to the sorbet section and noted the ones that looked appeasing.

"Debitto." Said teen turned to see the speaker - Tyki was leaning on the lilac wall of the store and watching his niece drag her father around by the collar. He faced the person he was speaking to and continued, "Do you mind picking out a flavor for Kim, I have no idea what she likes."

"Well neither do I."

"Guess," the Portuguese man shrugged and straightened up, "give it to her as an apology for last night. She'll appreciate it." With that said, Tyki sauntered off to make sure Jasdero wasn't smuggling any sweetened cones away.

* * *

Kimiaru practiced her walk once more before making sure her outfit was on properly. The multi-colored, spotted sundress had a pitch black belt that stretched around her slim waist; squeezing her feet were moss-green platforms that had three bubbles (in the face of a Mickey Mouse head) sitting on the tip of the heels.

"Kimiaru-san! It's time to do your make-up!"

"Coming Miriam."

The moment she sat in her chair, she took a huge breath and let the powder, foundation, mascara, eye-shadow, lipstick and blush cover her entire face - knowing that if for one second she breathed in, anything and everything capable of entering her nose, would.

"Finished!" Miriam stated proudly, spinning the Noah around to see herself. No one could deny that Miriam had a lot of talent, she applied the perfect amount of everything and could never displease any person she had worked on. She was sweet, kind and overall flawless. It was sickening - to a Noah that is.

A shriek sounded. It was Natane's signature shriek. The one where everybody knew that if they even talked to him, he would destroy every inch of their self-esteem with hurtful words until they were nothing more than a tear-streaked mess. Nevertheless, everything went to him to see what the problem was - he was absolutely fuming and screeching to someone on the phone.

"YOU'RE BOTH SICK? SINCE WHEN DO YOU GUYS GET SICK?...NO, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!...YOU'RE SORRY? WELL IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU TWO THINK A SIMPLE 'SORRY' IS GOING TO GET ME A NEW MODELS!...I DON'T CARE IF YOU BOTH HAVE THE FLU, MODELS HAVE WALKED DOWN THE RUNWAY WHEN THEY WERE IN **LABOR **AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO TELL ME THAT A SIMPLE FLU IS GETTING YOU DOWN?...FIRED! FIRED! FIRED! YOU ARE BOTH FIRED!" Everyone jumped back as he threw the phone to the ground and it smashed into a hundred tiny pieces. He looked around the room expectantly, "Well, we have ten minutes 'till the start of the show, can anyone tell me how to find two new male models?"

"Jasdero let go!"

* * *

"No Jasdero, no more ice-cream for you."

"But I want more!"

"You've eaten seven already - that's enough for today."

Pouting, the blonde Noah made a mental note to slip ketchup into the Portuguese Noah's wine tonight.

Road stood up and tugged on her father, "c'mon, the modeling place is this way. Hurry, it might be starting soon!"

Everyone lifted themselves off the side walk and followed the hyperactive girl intent on reaching their original destination. It wasn't long before a large building loomed before them.

"She's in there?"

"Yup, let's go!" The female Kamelot skipped through the front door to find herself in a room completely stuffed with cameras, critiques and random, unimportant people; she walked back out and gestured for everyone to follow her round back. A flight of metallic stairs led up to a small, insignificant door that was wrenched open by an eager Noah - from there, the rest of the party she had come with entered and looked at the crowd surrounding a screaming man.

In a split second, Debitto caught hold of his brother's hand before he could snatch the rainbow sorbet - an apology present for Kimiaru - away from his hands, "sorry Jas, but you can't have it."

A frown creased his twin's features before he threw an accusing look at his kin, "Need I remind you that I put my life on the line to get you chocolate mousse yesterday night yet you won't give me any of that ice-cream."

"Need I remind **you **that I didn't even want it, you forced me to eat it!"

The blonde's accusing look turned into a scowl and in the bat of an eye, he had jumped onto Debitto's back and started strangling him.

"FIRED! FIRED! FIRED! YOU ARE BOTH FIRED!" The smashing of an object was heard then a huff, "Well, we have ten minutes 'till the start of the show, can anyone tell me how to find two new male models?"

"Jasdero let go!"

"No! Give it to me!"

"Absolutely not!"

Road giggled as she saw everyone around Natane turn - including her dear cousin whose eyes had gone wide; the eldest also took the liberty of pushing the fighting seventeen-year-olds into Kimiaru.

* * *

Kimiaru spun around at the sound of squabbling. Her eyes grew twice the size they were before as her eyes landed on Jasdero and Debitto fighting.

_**'Pretend you don't know them!'**_

However, an evil little girl, who enjoyed torturing a certain umbrella, nudged the two forward - this resulted in the one blow tripping and both of them falling directly upon - yes, that's right - her.

"Get off!"

"Aha!" Jasdero leaped up and grabbed the sorbet from the squeaky-clean floor where it was dropped, "I win, _hee-hee._"

"Why, why me?" Kim whined, eyes closed and mouth trembling. Her hands lay on either side of her head and Debitto's were just a few inches away. Her golden orbs shot open when she remembered that there was someone still on top of her, and who that someone was.

"Stay absolutely still! Don't move a single inch - you know what, don't even breathe!" Natane's voice sliced through the air as he scrambled to get hold of a camera. He snapped a picture of the current scene and stared at it - a delighted smile made its way to his face.

"YOU!" he yelled pointing at Jasdero, "and YOU," he screamed pointing at Debitto, "are my new models!"

"What?" Kimiaru screeched, her mouth agape and eyes panicky.

"You know them don't you?" Natane asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Well it seems some of your skills have rubbed off on them, this photo is absolutely wonderful!"

Shoving the dark-haired twin off of her, she scurried over to quickly glance at the picture in the famous designer's hands. She looked, and looked, but couldn't take her eyes off of the piece of paper. The photo was fantastic! Kimiaru lay under Debitto, looking at him with wide eyes while his gaze was centered on her lips, one of his legs was in between both of her own while the other was poised upwards as if he was planning to stand up. Jasdero was right beside them, the cone of the ice-cream stuck between his fingers and a not-so-innocent smirk set on his mouth - his eyes were on the two next to him.

It wasn't long before Natane was elbowed out of the way by the rest of the Noah family who surrounded her to view it.

"Wow," Road slapped a hand to her fore-head to make sure she wasn't having a fever (thus becoming delirious) before admitting that it was very good.

"No time for all of this! Miriam, get the boys to make-up immediately. Daniel, pick out the outfits that they're to wear. Quickly!"

The twins were whisked off by a frantic woman and Road, Cyril and Tyki were ushered into VIP seats as a 'thank you' for giving Natane two male models.

The brunette sighed and got into place in the line - the curtains lifted, music played and the host went out to greet everyone.

* * *

"Bitch what the-aghh," spluttering as powder puffed into his mouth, Debitto grimaced at the taste of the substance.

"Shut your trap or you'll get stuff much worse than that in your mouth," Miriam yelled - outside of the make-up room she was wonderful; inside, however, she was a demon.

"Don't tell me what to-"

A fat, thick blush brush was pushed into his mouth as the make-up artist continued her work - it took two minutes to finish the dark-haired twin and send him off to the fitting room and almost thirty seconds to do Jasdero due to the lack of complaining.

She ushered him to where she had sent his brother and raced to the audience, eager to see her marvelous doings when complimented by the harsh light of the stage.

"Kimiaru-san!"

Twisting, the sixteen-year-old saw Daniel in a state of panic as he screamed about how the two Noahs next to him had never walked on a catwalk in their life. Sighing as the show was to start in less than a minute, Kimiaru gestured for Daniel to leave them be as she talked to the twins.

"Listen or you'll fail miserably. When it's time to walk down, both of you walk down at the same time so that if you both look weird when walking, then the crowd will think that's how it's supposed to be. Honestly, just walk like you do in school - you know, the way you stride in as if you own every living and non-living thing within a thousand mile radius. Just like that. Now get in line, the show's about to start."

* * *

"Shhh, daddy, Tyki, keep quiet! It's about to begin."

"And now, without further ado," the host announced, "please give it up for Natane Botomi's Autumn Line!"

Techno music began to play as the first model stepped out. She posed, walked to the end of the stage, posed again, and walked back. The second model did the same but just before turning to walk back, she stumbled a bit with her seven inch heels and tripped over a light at the side - therefore, ensuring her fall on the marble runway.

There was no living being in the giant room - who had the ability to hear - that was not able to pick up the outrageous obscenities coming from the designer. Road almost fell to the floor due to the force of her laughs, it took ten minutes of models who could actually hold themselves up and various assistants aiding Natane in calming down for the female Kamelot's hysteria to dissipate.

"When are Kimi-chan and Jasdebi," the eldest whined, "I'm getting bored."

"If you bothered to look through the program, then you would see that she's the last one to come on. Since Jasdero and Debitto are last-minutes, then they'll probably be after her." (Tyki)

Another ten minutes passed before the brunette walked out. Unlike the rest of the models, ten inch heels sat on her feet - daring her to walk faster than a pace at which she could not manage. She didn't strut as fast as the others, actually, she was being quite slow but that was partly because of the various aspects of her outfit she had to boast.

A long, cream and brown (plaid) trench-coat donned her slim body and was belted with a silk, peachy sash. Kimi's expert hands undid the black buttons with ease and slipped the material off her shoulders; underneath it lay a ruffled, crop-top shirt that had the same pattern as the coat except the plaid design came down diagonally from the right shoulder to the left corner. From there, the cream color dragged itself down into the open space, gradually darkening into a sandy color while the brown lines slanted down to the right corner - lightening to fit the sandy color but still maintaining a darker hue than the original. The skirt ended just above her knees and was a deep mahogany brown; it had beige lining on the rim and the bottom while black buttons were spaced next to each other on the beige areas. There were slits at the side and one smack in the center of the front and back. A cream-colored bonnet lay comfortably on her head and the black heels matched the sequined black clutch that was firmly held in her delicate fingers.

As she strutted, she played with different parts of her clothing. She flipped the bonnet backwards so that it shadowed the nape of her neck and pulled the edges around her throat - making it look like a collar. The clutch was put in an unseen pocket of the skirt before she finally reached the end of the runway; her face was devoid of any emotion, she leaned to the left and there were various flashes of cameras, she leaned to the right where the same amount of flashes occurred, and then she did the unexpected - she turned to walk back two steps, twisted half of her body to look at the audience and smiled. There wasn't an end to the snaps and flares of cameras, even when she turned to strut back. In one swift movement she picked up the trench-coat in her way and put it on, leaving the buttons undone. Road glanced at Natane and saw him hold his breath as Kimiaru turned once more - everything seemed to go in slow motion from there.

Everyone watched the young model's knees bend ever so slightly, then they watched as she launched herself into the air and do a full split, smile on her face and arms boxing around her head. The amount of flashes was enough to blind a person as every photographer tried to catch the scene. Road saw a smile on the designers face as Kim landed on her hands (thus doing a handstand), let her long legs touch the ground and stand upright again, smirk, then walk off stage.

"A split in the air to show the flexible-ness of the outfit in a whole, interesting," Tyki mused. "She was good, let's see how our dear twins do shall we?"

Jasdero and Debitto sauntered out with an amplified version of their school walk - instead of striding like they owned everything within a thousand mile radius, they strode as if they owned the world and every single atom of every single thing in the green planet - and they made it work. Not only did they look like the rulers, they also made their walk seem leisurely as if they did it every day. Their feet were in complete sync - not faltering for a moment as they practically overshadowed the previous male models who hadn't been even half as good as the two currently owning the catwalk. Their signature smirks were stuck to their faces and this- their time on the runway - was the only time someone would truly believe they were twins. Their facial expressions were exactly the same - seductive eyes and a deceptive smile.

Debitto wore a dark anorak jacket that was unzipped and inside there was a striped brown t-shirt with buttons on the fabric just below the collarbone. A puffy maroon ascot adorned his neck and slithered over his shoulder to hang, his beige slacks had straps that almost resembled those of overalls except they were much thinner and weren't used - they hung down the length of the pants, almost reaching his unexposed ankles. Jasdero, on the other hand, had a cream long-sleeved shirt. On top of it was a sweater vest that had different shades of brown printed on it in a diamond manner, the clothing for his bottom torso consisted of a pair of light trousers that reached just after his thigh but were eaten up by high valenki type boots. A sling backpack was on each of their shoulders and the moment they reached the tip of the runway, they whipped them off their shoulders and the camera flashes cued again. They never stopped throughout the twins' walk. Halfway back to the start, they each turned - simultaneously - and let an angry, almost murderous expression take over their faces before they disappeared backstage.

"Damn," Cyril muttered.

"You said a bad word, daddy," Road declared, "five thousand yen in the swear jar!"

"Yes my dear musume."

Tyki Mikk shook his head as he thought of how much money his niece had already extorted from her father.

* * *

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Natane cried, falling to Tyki, Road and Cyril's feet, "you saved my show! All those other useless ones could not compare to them so _**thank you**_!"

"No problem at all," the Portuguese man stated, "it was our pleasure."

"Any time, any time that you want to come and check out the shoots or shows, feel free. There'll always be a spot reserved for you in the VIP box-" a crash sounded and Natane turned to see a model who had mistakenly snapped one of the heels for the show - her face went completely pale as her eyes met the designer's. Every person with even a smidgen of common sense plugged their ears with anything they could find: cotton, marshmallows, cotton swabs, fingers - you name it. Anything they found. Pop. Into their ears it went.

"**YOU'RE FIRED!**"

"I've had enough!" Miriam stormed out of the make-up room with Jasdero following gleefully behind her. Stopping in front of Kimiaru, the make-up artist declared that she would not stand another second of Debitto's incessant whining and that she wondered how he and the ever-so-sweet Jasdero were even related. "I'm sorry Kim, but you have to deal with him - I'm way too tired to go through this."

The brunette nodded and tied her hair into a messy ponytail; she had changed back into the clothes she was wearing when she arrived and (thankfully) taken off the insanely high heels. Deciding not to put on shoes for a while so that she could give her feet some air, Kim ignored the slippers that were graciously provided by the agency and walked into the room Miriam had previously exited.

* * *

Debitto watched his brother walk out the door with a fuming Miriam in front of him.

_'Damn that woman whines a lot'._

He relaxed in his chair and took a good look at himself in the mirror. He had been _**forbidden**_ to take off any piece of his outfit just in case any bit of make-up fell on it and, surprisingly, he obliged to that. What he would not tolerate under any circumstances was some bitchy little lady trying to dab all these weird remover things on his face - neither would he allow her to massage warm water onto his face to get that stupid foundation she put on, off.

"You really are a pain in the ass, do you know that?"

Debi spun in his chair to see Kimiaru standing - dressed casually - with her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised. "Honestly though, I shouldn't have expected anything less," she shrugged walking over to his chair, "poor Miriam, I should have warned her."

"She's a-"

"Just shut up and pass me the eye-liner remover." He threw the labeled container her way before putting up a hand

"First thing's first - if you're going to take your sweet time in doing this whole thing then I might as well stick my head in a tub of water and walk out of here." (Debitto)

"Only if you want to stick your head in _boiling_ hot water. Not one tube, container, or pack of make-up here is not waterproof. All of them are so that anyone who lets a tear slip due to the lighting, or starts sweating due to the heat does not mess up their face. Now give me that napkin."

It actually didn't take as long as he thought, she dumped a bunch of the eye-liner remover on the napkin and rubbed his whole face with it - claiming that it was the strongest and would remove any type of make-up at all. She was right. In less than five minutes, they were done and she was shaking her head at the fact that he couldn't remove the ascot.

"You cannot be serious."

"The freakin' thing is as difficult to untie as a rubix cube!"

"Take off your shirt; I'll be able to undo it easier like that."

He complied.

* * *

The words came out of Kimiaru's mouth before she could stop them. She watched as he lifted the brown material over his head, and his well-defined torso was available for her eyes to see. Her heartbeat quickened. Damn it!

The brunette then decided that she would do her job as quickly as possible and all would be fine - pfft, as if life was that nice to her.

She stepped close so that she could reach the scarf-like thing around his neck and started fumbling with the knot. After a few minutes of unsuccessfulness and building frustration, Kimiaru noticed that Debitto was shaking.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're shaking."

An arrogant scoff. "No I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

Rolling her eyes, Kim proceeded to continue with her efforts and found him shaking again, "you're ," she sing-songed.

"Shut up! It's 'cause I'm cold."

"I didn't ask you why," biting her lip, the sixteen-year-old decided to have a little fun. "You know _Debi-chan,_ there are many causes to a person shaking - considering the fact that it's actually pretty hot here, I wouldn't think that it's 'the cold' that's making you shiver." She dragged a finger over his collarbone and pushed up on her tip-toes so that she could look straight into his eyes, "one of them could be due to your hormones," her voice was barely above a whisper now, "like maybe, oh I don't know, being in such close proximity with a girl."

"It's because I'm cold," he answered taking a step back.

"Really _Debi-chan_, because I can almost recall Miriam telling me that you were complaining about things that weren't her fault like the heat in this room. Well, it might just be my faulty memory. You never know," she wrapped her hands around his waist and drew circles on his back - making a little tremor run up this spine.

No, Debitto would not lose to her again. It hadn't even been a week and she was trying that seductress thing on him again - well, two could play at that game.

"You know Kimi-chan, you might just be right," he saw the confusion in her eyes and momentary hesitation - that was enough for him to work with, "so, since I don't really have experience in that area, and you seem to know a lot more than me, why don't you just show me."

"Wha-"

He pulled her flush against his half-clothed body and smirked at the widening of her eyes, "how about you demonstrate how I'm supposed to react when _too close_ to someone of the opposite gender. I'll be your assistant."

* * *

She could not believe he had just turned the tables on her! I mean seriously, what's up with that?

_**'Whatever can go wrong, will.' **_(1)

_'Shut up!'_

Her breath quickened as his finger ghosted over the nape of her neck, "what am I supposed to do if someone does this, Kimi-sensei? Or when someone does this?" His index finger went to the skin on her voice box and gently pressed down.

_**'You're screwed'**_

_'Don't you think I know that?'_

She suddenly found herself against a wall and with Debi's eyes staring at her with such intensity that it was almost suffocating. His left hand travelled to her back and under her black camisole - he trailed the pad of his thumb up and down her spine. A shaky breath was let out as a small tremor ran through her body, "is that what I'm supposed to do Kimi-sensei? Shiver uncontrollably?"

"De-Debitto?" She hated the way her voice wavered.

"Wait, wait, you haven't showed me everything yet. How about this?" She felt it before she saw it. His head lowered towards the side of her own and his tongue darted out to tickle her earlobe. Soon enough, his teeth were grazing the shell of her ear and dragged down her to her throat. Her breath hitched, her heartbeat was going at 1000 beats per minute and she was basically trembling like a leaf.

Satisfied with his work, he efficiently removed the ascot from his neck, shot her a smirk, winked, and walked out.

She dropped to the floor, hand on her chest to calm her racing pulse and let her head lean against the wall behind her.

_**'You liiiiiiiiiiiiiiike him.'**_

_'Screw you!'_

_**'You didn't deny it so you liiiiiiiiiiiiike him.'**_

_'Shut up already!'_

_**'But it's true!'**_

_'I didn't say it wasn't.'_

A pause.

_**'So you admit it.'**_

Silence.

* * *

**(1) Whatever can go wrong, will - Murphy's Law**

* * *

**MikaUchiha:** Thanks for the review!

**Toshirorulez5983:** Haha - I was kinda scared that I was making Cyril a bit OOC but your review just clarified I wasn't. Thanks!

**Another Witty Ninja:** I've missed you! I understand the review thing, I've had the same problem a lot. I'm happy you like the direction of the story, I was scared that it was moving a little bit too slowly. I will try not to delay the updates for three weeks again, but it honestly depends on the kindness of my teachers. One day of no homework = projects for the next couple of weeks :/

* * *

**I'll try to update soon again but I can't make any promises. Writer's block is starting to edge back D: Tell me if I made any grammatical errors or whatnot because I didn't proof read this. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please, please review since there were only three in the last chapter. Can we get it to five at the very least?**


	18. It May Be More Than Just A Crush

**Konnichi Wa! (I have no idea if I spelt it right.) Sorry for taking so long to post it, but I'm finally out of school! (Left one month early bitches!) **

**Anyway, can't guarantee that chapters will come out faster or longer, but you definitely won't have to wait a couple of months before a new chapter. Enjoy this chappie, it's kind of a filler too but it exposes on of Kim's other fears. Well, not really, but the next chapter will elaborate more on it. You can try and guess then I'll tell you whether you're right or wrong.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter: 18

It May Be More Than Just A Crush

After Tyki escaped from the joyful designer, he went on a hunt for his daughter. He sat down when informed she was helping Debitto with make-up removal, but what baffled him was, when Debitto walked out of the make-up room, he looked completely and totally smug. More smug than usual! After a few minutes, he stood up and walked into the room which Kimiaru was residing in and found her sitting on the floor, head in her hands and knees pressed to her chest.

"Kim? Kimiaru?" Sighing, he sat down next to the quiet teen and rubbed her back reassuringly. "Tell me what the matter is."

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"No," Kim lifted her head up, "I actually don't. Tons of people have gone through this, it's happened countless times before so I really don't know why I'm acting this way."

"Then just tell me what happened."

"I sort of...well...it's kinda hard to explain," scratching the back of her head, the chocolate-haired girl frowned as she stumbled over her words. "It's about Debitto."

"What about him?"

"I...well...just a little bit anyway...I sorta kinda like Debitto?"

"As in you have a crush on him?"

"...Yes..."

"Interesting...it's cute."

"Cute?" she asked.

"Cute," he confirmed, "completely adorable to tell the truth. So what's wrong with that?"

"Besides the obvious reason of him being a stupid, pompous, idiot - he doesn't like me back."

"And how do you know?"

"Well, I don't know for sure but he doesn't _seem_ to like me. I mean, he hasn't hinted anything."

"Have you hinted anything to him?"

"No, but-"

"So how do you know he's not _**deeply, totally, absolutely-**_"

"Daddy..."

"-_**helplessly, hopelessly, intensely-**_"

"Daddy..." Kimiaru giggled.

"-_**passionately, severely, profoundly-"**_

"Daddy!" Kim finally screamed, face red with subdued laughter.

"-in love with you," Tyki smiled and patted her head before standing and offering her his hand, "believe it or not, Debitto's pretty good at covering up what he really feels. It might be due to the fact that he can share emotions with Jasdero but you never know. Anyway, get up - you have walls to paint."

"But daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy."

"Don't worry, I'll help this time."

* * *

The paint can shook as the brush was violently stabbed into the gooey liquid inside it, and pulled back out with just as much force. A splat sounded as the brush went slamming into the wall and was ruthlessly dragged up and down.

"Kimi-chan," Jasdero called, "I think the brush is in pain, _hee-hee_."

"I don't care."

"But you're hurting it."

"I don't care."

"Well that's not nice, it's not the paintbrush's fault that Tyki phased through the wall and never came back."

Glancing at the blonde, Kimiaru eased up on the force she was putting on the paintbrush, "happy?"

"Ask the paintbrush," Jasdero sulked; he turned away from her and let his roller - which he had coerced from her - glide up and down the wall freely. It wasn't long before he got bored...and hungry.

"Debi, Dero is hungry," he whined, dropping to the floor and crawling over to his brother. "Dero is really, really hungry."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because you're the only one here."

"What about Kim?"

"You mean the brush torturer? I don't want to talk to _her,"_ he said her name like it was poison and sent a brief glare her way - so the brunette decided to do what she did the first day she met the Noah family. She burst into tears.

"I'm so, so sorry," she cried, hands cradling the worn out brush as her eyes filled, "I never meant to hurt anyone. I was just angry because my daddy left me alone to paint walls when he promised he would help, please accept my apology paintbrush, I didn't mean to cause you any harm."

Jasdero was at her side in an instant, patting her head, "it's alright Kimi-chan, the brush forgives you."

Sniffling, she added, "but it didn't tell me that I was forgiven."

After that sentence was uttered, she received the most dumbstruck look on earth by the seventeen-year-old. "Kimi-chan..."

"Yes?"

"Paintbrushes don't talk." He backed away warily from her and picked up his roller from where he had left it. Chancing a look back at the brunette, he frowned and dropped the utensil in his hand once again, "I'll go get you and icepack - maybe the heat was too much for you at the runway show."

* * *

_'Great, now he thinks I'm a nut-head.'_

_**'Well you sure sounded like one.'**_

_'I didn't ask for your opinion.'_

_**'Pfft, as if that will stop me.'**_

A snickering brought the youngest Noah out of her useless argument, "what are you laughing at."

Debitto kept his mouth shut and merely shrugged.

"Debitto? Debitto!"

"What?" he asked innocently, a sickly sweet smile plastered on his face.

"Why were you laughing?"

"I have no idea what-" he stopped abruptly and shook his head, "screw 'feigning ignorance' do you know how much of an idiot you sounded like?"

Scowling, Kim proceeded to ignore the ravenette and continued stroking the wall with the brush; another bout of chuckles were heard and that made her increase the pressure she put on the painting instrument due to annoyance.

"Be careful to not hurt the paintbrush again, or else when you apologize it might not tell you it forgives you," the dark haired twin mocked.

The ever so impatient Kimiaru finally snapped and chucked the brush at him. He promptly dodged it and faced her to gloat about her miss before he saw the incoming paint can and dropped to the floor. He watched as she pried open a new can of paint and stalked towards him.

"Hey, hey. Calm yourself, it was just a joke," Debitto made a move to get up but Kim went ahead and spilled some paint on his feet so that he could slip. "Kim, that's acrylic paint you know, it doesn't come out of clothes."

She stopped, she smiled, then she began walking again, "then, why don't we see if it comes out of hair." The words were the only warning as the can was imminently emptied on his head once she had spoken. Giggling, the young girl dropped the object she used in soiling the male and turned to walk back - and she _would_ have walked back if not for the hand that enclosed around her ankle.

The brunette stumbled a bit then turned to complain before two, half-full paint cans caught her eyes, "n-now Debitto, you said yourself that it's just a joke, no harm done."

"Oh but Kimi-chan," he bit out - voice laced in honey, "you know that I follow by example; if you take no regard to me saying it was a joke, then I'll disregard whatever you say about a joke too."

The sixteen-year-old's eyes and lips clamped shut as she felt the wet liquid splatter over her body; spluttering and floundering backwards, she wiped the fluid from her face, she glared at him as she shouted, "what if it doesn't come out of my hair?"

A smirk. "Don't you think trying the experiment more than once will produce better results?"

"I'm going to kill you," she hissed.

"Too bad we don't have red paint for you to cover it up." Debitto bounded up from his position on the floor and tore across the ballroom when Kim launched herself at him. Picking up the paint tray that Jasdero was using, she used it as a makeshift baseball bat and swung it whenever she thought it might reach the male teen.

"Get back here you jackass!"

"Only if you can catch me!" He was definitely faster than her so he decided to slow down for a moment - big mistake. She came barreling towards him, tray in hand and smashed right into his back when the paint on the floor made her slip. He, on the other hand, went skidding all the way to the other side and just avoided ramming into a pillar. A thump was heard. A loud groan followed. Silence.

He steadied himself and made sure that he wasn't in any danger of losing his footing before he turned back around. Lying on the floor was the fallen brunette - her head surrounded by cream and scarlet paint.

When there was no movement from her after a minute or so, the ravenette sauntered forwards and leaned forwards - she still didn't move. "C'mon Kim, you can't fool me. This is the lamest trick I have ever seen, the red paint isn't working." He saw the crimson substance very slowly and very gradually increasing in size - that was when he remembered - there was no red paint. He lowered his finger and poked her forehead. A pained groan was let out.

"Shit..."

* * *

Kim sat against the wall, icepack pressed to the back of her head as she watched the twins run their brushes/rollers up and down the wall. The head-ache she had received from the fall was almost gone and the bleeding was very minor and needed no medical attention - just something to stop the blood-flow. She smiled as Jasdero walked over to her and poked her nose.

"Feel better Kimi-chan, and don't fight with Debitto for a while because your skull might crack if you do that again, _hee-hee._" The blonde made a motion to pat her head before he remembered her condition. Then he turned around, centered his eyes on the door and took off straight towards it.

"Dero."

He paused in his tracks and looked at his twin, "yes?"

"Where are you going?"

"To watch T.V."

"So you're leaving me to do all the work?"

"When Kimi-chan's stops whining about her aching head and gets up to do something remotely useful then you won't be alone, _hee-hee_!" the blonde declared. Before Kim had any chance to protest, however, he beamed at her and started talking. "You can't really deny it Kimi-chan; if you were really dedicated then you'd be up and about."

"What about you?" the sixteen-year-old blurted.

"..."

"Jasdero?"

"..."

"Jas?"

"..."

"Are you there?"

Said teen blinked twice before tilting his head sideways, "what did you say? I was spacing."

"Just go," the brunette sighed, defeated. Who knew the light-haired twin could be so devious? She watched as he waltzed out and skipped down the hall.

"Get up, lazy ass."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said," Debitto glanced at her, "since you let him go, then you'll have to fill in for him. Now get up."

It did make sense, but she was stubborn, and she didn't like being called names - hadn't she clarified that when they first met? Maybe she would have to send him over a table again. So basically, along with being stubborn and vengeful, Kimiaru was spoilt and that would probably never change. So she challenged him. Not the smartest thing to do but, she was who she was.

"Make me, jackass."

The ravenette's roller halted and he turned to face her, "do you want to say it again, bitch?"

"You heard what I said," she mimicked, "since you're being an obnoxious gnat, then you should have expected something like that, moron."

"I told you to say it again, you snobby little hussy."

"I'm surprised you even know that word due to the fact that you must be deaf since you didn't hear me first time round." Her headache was gone and the icepack was put aside.

His jaw clenched and he dropped the tool in his hand, walking towards her.

"Give it up Debi-_chan,_ if you spill any more paint then we won't have enough the finish the room and the Earl will get mad."

"I don't need paint for this." He was getting closer, and she was getting nervous.

"I almost split my head in half fighting with you," the youngest backed up a bit, using her hands, "it probably hasn't healed yet, it could really break open this time!"

"Oh, I know, but that was due to _your_ clumsiness," he was grinning now and he finally reached her - leaning down to her level, he put a finger to his lip as if thinking.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing much," he suddenly lunged for her feet and, as expected, he got them. She was deftly hauled over his shoulder - front torso facing his backside and lower torso against his chest.

"Debitto let me go!"

"Pfft, of course not."

"Come on!"

"Absolutely not, maybe tossing you into the maze outside will get you thinking and stop you from being such a lazy mess," he pondered, heading towards the only (large) window in the room.

"No, no, no. Debitto please, please don't do that!"

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Just please don't!"

"What are you so afraid of?"

* * *

"What are you so afraid of?"

She tensed up and bit her lip - forcing the onslaught of memories from resurfacing in her mind.

The male carrying her paused mid-step when he got no answer - at the very least he expected vehement denial of his question. Ignoring it, he continued walking.

"W-wait what are you doing?"

"I already told you, you're going to the maze."

The moment his hand pressed down on the window latch, he received a violent kick to his jaw and dropped the offender.

"You - ugh!" his hand shot up to cradle his injured chin and he staggered backwards, his free hand reaching out to the wall for support, "what was that all about?"

"I'm sorry!"

* * *

He pressed the icepack closer to the underside of his mouth and winced as the small movement caused a sharp pain to occur. He felt the brunette's sympathetic gaze trained on him but ignored it and concentrated on applying just the right pressure to the forming bruise.

"I'm really, really sorry."

Silence.

"Debitto, I said I'm sorry!"

Silence.

"C'mon!" she whined, brush halfway up the pillar, "I'm really sorry. Please forgive me."

"No-agh damn it!" he hissed, inwardly cursing the fact that whenever he talked, it felt like a needle diving into his jaw.

Another fifteen minutes of quiet passed before all the pillars were done and only one wall remained. The sixteen-year-old glanced at the ravenette and sighed; she felt the dried paint in her hair and grimaced when she thought of the possibility of it not coming out, then she glanced at Debi's hair and felt guilty that she had given his hair the same treatment - worse actually since she actually POURED it onto his head.

Guilt was absolutely killing her so she decided to give in to its demands and sat down with the injured male.

"Look at me." He did nothing. "Debitto I'm trying to help, just please look."

Said male cringed as another surge of pain hit him when he turned towards her. She gently cupped his cheek and angled his head so that she could meet his eyes; after a minute of absolutely nothing happening the golden-eyed girl scowled.

* * *

_'Why isn't this working?'_

_**'Try harder.'**_

_'I am!'_

_**'Get closer then!'**_

Kimiaru moved her face closer towards his and practically glared into his gilt orbs. A sudden sensation overcame the raven-haired male and immediately afterwards, he could feel nothing - no pain, no happiness, no sadness, no nothing - except for amazement. He was pulled up by the sixteen year old and led out of the room, through the hallway, up the stairs and into his room (maintaining eye contact the whole time). He was settled into bed ever so carefully with Kim's face still less than an inch away from his and his chin was put in a comfortable position on his pillow. She was leaning over him, eyes centered on his before she finally blinked and almost groaned at the dull ache that started throbbing in her skull.

* * *

All his senses came back to him the moment the youngest Noah blinked. His gaze was still focused on the only female in the room but it slowly slithered down to her lips - parted with her labored breathing. Her chest moved up and down as she tried to take in as much air as she could without choking.

His attention averted back to her lips - if he just tilted his head a little bit to the left...

_'What am I thinking?'_

Kim suddenly realized how close the two were and pulled back, "I-I - never mind. I'll just go finish downstairs," she said awkwardly, backing towards the door. "Sleep well!"

She shut his door with a bang.

* * *

_**'Man, you really have the hots for him.'**_

_'...'_

_**'I wonder what little Kimi and Debi babies would look like.'**_

_'...'_

_**'You saw him staring at you right?'**_

_'...Yes.'_

_**'Oh so you answer to **__**that**__**.'**_

_'Shut up.' _But the smile on her face said differently.

_**'Your heart...'**_

_'What about it?'_

_**'Judging from the rate at which it's going, I'd say that your feelings for Debitto may be more than just a crush.'**_

_'...Stop being stupid.'_

_**'I'm not teasing Kim - I'm serious.'**_

_'...'_

* * *

**MikaUchiha:** He definitely is ;D

**blueicefireNINJA4 (Chapter 2):** I'm so happy you like it! Bloodplus? Is that another anime?

**blueicefireNINJA4 (Chapter 5):** You just reminded me that I have to add another fighting chapter! And for reminding me, it's gonna be dedicated to you :D You'll have to wait a few chapters though...

**blueicefireNINJA4 (Chapter 9):** I'll see what I can do with Tyki, however, he's not even going to get close to how Cyril is with Road - it's just obsessive!

* * *

**I barely got any reviews for the last chapter :( Can we at least reach 100 reviews? Whoever's the 100th reviewer gets to request a chapter about anything they want. It doesn't have to fit in the story line. Review!**


	19. Shopping!

**Sorry I took so long! I thought when I was on holiday it would be easier to write and upload but no such luck! Writers block is being annoying -_- Please read the note at the bottom since it's kinda important. It depends really...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter: 19**

**Shopping!**

"More shampoo, more shampoo, more shampoo, more shampoo," Kimiaru chanted as she stepped out of the bathtub. After a brutal, scalding hot bath to get rid of all the paint on her skin and especially her hair, she had used two full bottles of her 'Heads and Shoulders' and now she had to remind someone to get her more. Wrapping a long towel around her upper torso and one around her hair, she took her nightgown from its place on the closed toilet lid and bounded outside. Once out, she headed into her room and locked the door.

She undid the knot right next to her underarm and proceeded to let loose the silk material before letting her eyes land on two people going through her dresser - completely unaware of her presence. So she soundlessly tied up the only thing covering her body, put her nightie down, lifted up the (new) lamp in her room and screamed. Debitto whipped around, Jasdero whipped around, and both got a helping of floor-lamp to face.

"Get. Out!"

* * *

"Oww, Kimi-chan, why did you hurt Debi and Dero?" the blonde whined, rubbing his cheek from the impact of the lighting object.

"Because you two had broken into my room and were perusing through my dresser without even asking."

"But _still._" He pressed the icepack closer to his injured face and pouted dramatically. They were strolling down the hallway since it was breakfast time and each twin sported the same bruise on the exact same cheek.

"What on earth were you two doing in there anyway?" (Kim)

"Looking for your homework," Debitto answered.

"Reason being?"

"Jasdero has a tendency to get offended if anyone gets something wrong on their work which he knew the answer to yet they didn't go to him for help."

"I just like being helpful," the more submissive brother sulked.

"If you would have just **told** me then-"

"He got impatient," Debi shrugged and shifted the icepack a bit.

"Still," Kimiaru suddenly froze in step as they waltzed into the too-quiet dining room. Road was sitting in her place, eyes and mouth closed while Tyki was staring at a book that spoke of the wonders of chemistry. Something was definitely wrong.

In record time, the youngest Noah leaped behind a potted plant and was able to avoid her uncle's attempt at catching her to – for the second time – squeeze the life out of her.

"I told you it wouldn't work, daddy," Road smiled, "I mean, seriously, Tyki's reading a book! A chemistry book!"

"I would protest, I really would, but you couldn't have expected her to actually believe that _anyone_ would leisurely read a chemistry book. She wouldn't even do it herself," the Portuguese man chided, he sent a calm look at the twins, eyed the icepacks pressed to their faces and shook his head amusedly. "What did the two of you do to her this time?"

"Why do you always suspect us as the culprits?" Debitto frowned.

"Considering the fact that the both of you are the ones that will have bruises later on, it does imply that she is not the guilty party here."

"Stop using all that lawyer talk, it's annoying."

"So the defendants do not deny the accusations being made against them?" Kim cut in, sliding into a seat next to her father – safety precaution from her uncle.

"What the-" But Jasdero slapped a hand over his brother's mouth – earning him a shout of pain because of his kin's swollen cheek – since he wanted to play along.

"The plaintiff has not made clear the charges being pressed against us, _hee-hee_. We request that you state them."

"The charges are as follows," the brunette started, "Breaking into my domain without permission or a search warrant, ransacking my dresser without asking, and attempted thievery."

"And the evidence for all these false accusations are where exactly?" the blonde asked.

"I believe my client caught the two of you red-handed," Tyki announced.

"And for which of the charges would that be?"

"Ransacking me dresser and attempted thievery," Kimiaru twirled a lock of her hair in her fingers. "I dearly hope that you do not deny it."

Jasdero glanced at her nonchalantly – the complete opposite of his normal happy-go-lucky attitude, "On what grounds do you hold the 'Attempted thievery' charge?"

"On the grounds of Debitto confessing," a small smirk appeared on her features, but was quickly wiped off when her opponent let a grin overtake his mouth.

"And I suppose you have a recorded message of my client saying it-"

"Since when was I the client-"

"-or, I suppose, a written document signed exclusively by him, _hee-hee."_

"Then what we need is an outright confession here in the court," Cyril declared, "my daughter and I are the jury, and Lulu Bell will be the judge." Said female glanced at them with disinterest clear in her eyes.

"So, Debitto of the Noah family," the twenty-six-year-old drawled, shifting an arm over his daughter, "Did you or did you not tell Kimiaru that you attempted to steal something from her room?"

"I didn't say we tried to steal anything. I just said that we were looking for her homework!"

"Exactly," the more submissive twin nodded, "He said nothing about stealing, just that we were **looking** for your homework."

"So you broke into Kimiaru's room without her permission or a search warrant, is that correct?" Tyki enquired.

The blonde's lips pursed as he reluctantly nodded to the question.

"And, you ransacked her dresser without permission, am I leaving out anything?" the smoker grinned, shuffling a deck of cards he had in his hands.

"We did not **ransack** per say, we were merely – as my client said – looking for her homework. And you cannot deny that some items must be moved whenever looking for something, _hee-hee._"

"You are quite right, I must say," Kim agreed, "but the fact that you did not enter with my permission or search warrant can constitute that as a crime – now, onto the attempted thievery matter."

"My client clearly stated that he said we were only 'looking' for your homework."

"And what exactly did you plan to do with my homework once you found it?" The brunette snatched a card from her father and proceeded to twirl it on her fingers.

The blonde stilled and Debitto groaned in frustration – he just wanted to eat some breakfast! If you can't beat 'em, then join 'em.

"If we found her homework then we would have just lifted it from its place, read over it, made sure that the answers were correct, then put it back in its rightful position," the dark haired twin mumbled.

"If an object not belonging to _**you**_ is taken from its place by _**you**_, isn't that called stealing?" The youngest smirked.

"No." Debitto stood straighter, "if a person lifts up a piece of jewelry in a store to examine, then keeps it back, is that stealing?"

"No but-"

"If a friend visits another friend's house, picks up an object, but keeps it in a different room is that called stealing?"

"No-"

"But if a person enters another person's hotel room, takes an item and leaves, is that called stealing?"

"…Yes."

"We had no intention of doing that," Debi continued, "we were merely going to pick it up, examine it, and put it back where it was – or maybe in a different place _**in your room**_ because we may not have remembered where it's original place was." He leaned back in his chair. "I ask that you refute the 'Attempted thievery' charge."

"Absolutely not!" Tyki pulled the girl back down from her standing position and patted her head.

"How does the jury find the accused?" Lulu Bell asked, the slightest twinge of amusement hidden in her voice.

"Guilty of two of the three charges," Road stated, "Those are 'Breaking into Kimiaru's domain without permission or a search warrant' and 'Ransacking Kimiaru's dresser without asking.'"

"They have been found innocent of the 'Attempted Thievery' charge," Cyril supplied.

"I hereby sentence you to no dessert for a week," the tall woman turned into her cat form and pranced out of the room.

Cyril smiled, "Court adjourned."

* * *

"Let's see," Kim dragged her index finger along the mall map and tapped a certain spot, "Let's start on the second floor, all this floor sells is food and stuff."

"But I'm _hungry_," Jasdero whined, hands clutching his stomach dramatically.

"And frankly, I really don't want to go shopping with the three of _**you**_," Debi shrugged, gesturing towards Road, Kimi and Cyril.

"Then it's settled," Tyki reached for his wallet and handed his daughter 100,000 yen – which she openly gaped at. "We'll split up, Cyril you go with the two girls to whichever store they want – seeing as you have an unhealthy obsession with shopping – and I'll follow the twins to make sure they don't set anything on fire. I don't think the earl will be in the mood to bribe the opposition's lawyer to drop the arsonist charges – again."

"It was the curtains' fault!" the twins protested.

"We'll meet back at the pet shop down here in two hours."

* * *

"First thing's first," Cyril declared once they exited the escalator, "We have to find a dress for the ball for the both of you."

"This one! This one! **This one!**" The female Kamelot shouted, pointing at a huge store full of – well – all possible choices of apparel.

The trio stepped in; before the brunette even knew what happened, she had been deserted by her uncle and cousin who were dashing off to find a perfect outfit.

'_**You're not going to freak out, are you?'**_

'_Of course not, as long as I keep track of where I am.'_

'_**You have zero navigational skills.'**_

'_I know that…'_

'_**So basically you're screwed.'**_

'_Go away.'_

'_**In case you have forgotten, I'm the reason you were able to find your way back to your mother that time.'**_

'…'

'_**But if you really want me to-'**_

'_Stay with me. Please.'_

'_**Damn it - I'm way too nice.'**_

* * *

"Dero," Debitto called, glancing at his twin, "You're gonna get fat."

Said seventeen-year-old gasped in indignation, "You take that back!"

"Pshh, as if."

"Debi!"

"Alright, alright," Tyki hefted the two up by the arm and pulled them towards the escalator.

"I don't want to get a suit, _hee-hee._ They all look the same anyway."

"Doesn't matter, you two are getting new ones – preferably not black this time."

"Reason being?" They had entered a men's store by that time.

"Because the Earl said so Debitto," he gave the younger boy a pointed look, "And I doubt you want to cross him."

"Damn it."

"And the two of you will have to act quite, how do I say it, charming? That seems like the right word."

Jasdevi snorted, "Charming?" They chorused. "You'd have better luck driving a car with square wheels."

"Which, although difficult, is possible. Unfortunately for me, I will have to be the one to teach the both of you."

"Why not Cyril, _hee-hee_?"

"Because it's likely that he will kill the both of you before you learn how to waltz."

"We have to learn to waltz?" Jasdevi cried, distraught at their current predicament.

"Definitely."

"Hold it, hold it," Jasdero walked up to the Portuguese man with an inquisitive expression on his face, "I do believe that Cyril is more patient than you."

"You would believe that wouldn't you," Tyki picked a delicate rose from its place in a vase and offered it to a girl not more than seventeen years of age. She blushed and thanked him bashfully, her friends giggling and nudging her as she zipped out of the door. "But don't forget, I'm the one who's actually his brother. I had to endure him teaching me to play the piano," the twenty-six year old let an almost unnoticeable shiver run up his spine, "the amount of times I had to phase through the floor to avoid having my bones snapped was quite excessive."

"Wow," the dark-haired-twin muttered, "that means that if Cyril is that temperamental, then you'll be shooting those creepy teases at us every possible moment."

"It won't be too bad," the poker player announced, picking out two identical crisp white suits, "now try these on."

"Eww," the ravenette winced, "they hurt my eyes!"

"Trust me; you don't want to get on my bad side already. I can make my teaching technique as painful as it has to be – the Earl said to do whatever it takes to get the both of you as gentlemanly as can be. Keep that in mind."

Both teens snatched the suits, although reluctantly, and trudged into the changing rooms.

* * *

Road nodded when she came out of the dressing room after trying on the dress, "Yup, this is the one."

"I knew it! You looked beautiful in it!" the diplomat clapped his hands cheerfully then glanced around, "where's your cousin?"

"I don't-oh! There she is!" the eldest pointed at the lost girl who was walking around aimlessly.

"Kimi-chan!" Cyril cried; in an instant, his niece had her arms wrapped tightly around him, face pressed to his chest as he gazed at her curiously. "Kimi-chan?"

She held him for about half a minute longer before pulling back and staring at him, something akin to disbelief and annoyance in her eyes, "How could you just leave me?"

"What do you-"

"The moment we enter the store you and Road disappear! I'm left alone standing in front of a rack of shirts like an idiot. Do you know how hard it is to determine one's location in a store _**this big**_? This whole place is a maze full of shoes and shorts and skirts and everything – how on earth could you leave me to get lost and slowly disintegrate in a corner where no one would find me?"

A hand slipped into hers and the ranting female stopped, glancing at Road who was looking back at her.

"Come on, let's find you a dress."

It took a lot of fussing, glares, complaining, whining, fittings, shrieks, pulling, and threatening for everyone to finally compromise on one garment. It was a spaghetti strap mermaid dress with a sweetheart neckline – the color was a dull fuchsia except for the flared skirt which took up a light silver.

"Aww, you look adorable! We're taking it." As soon as she had donned back the clothes she was wearing before, the gowns had been charged and bagged (including Road's) and they were searching for shoes.

* * *

"Why are they taking so long?"

"They're girls Debitto," Tyki sighed, "You can't expect them to be quick about their business."

"But Cyril is a guy, _hee-hee_."

"You would believe that wouldn't you," the Portuguese man smirked, "but remember, I am his brother."

"And what's that supposed to mean…" the dark-haired twin asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Never mind, here they come."

They all turned to spot the diplomat with a total of fifteen shopping bags in his arms and his grinning daughter next to him. Kimiaru, on the other hand, looked completely exhausted; she strode towards the bench they were waiting on and dropped next to Debitto, letting her head fall on his shoulder as she let out a pained groan.

"What's up with you?"

She chanced a glance at him and exhaled loudly, "They dragged me to every fuc-"

"Kim," Tyki warned.

"Sorry," she muttered, "They dragged me to every _freakin' _shoe store on the second floor because Road couldn't find any shoes that she wanted, but along the way, they bought every piece of jewelry they saw. Then uncle Cyril decided to make us try on every single swimsuit and costume there was and bought almost half of them before I had the chance to tell him that I didn't need any! Not to mention the fact that I'm wearing _these._" She pointed to her feet, showing him the 6 inch heels donning the suffocating appendages.

"Why would you wear them to go _shopping?"_

"Because I never spend this long in the mall! I almost never go to a mall! Why? Because I get all my outfits from the fashion shows I do and whatnot. Worst part is: We didn't even get my shampoo!"

"Daddy," Road tugged at her father's shirt, "I want to go in the pet shop."

"But I just got you a new guinea pig."

"Yes, but a few days ago, I was testing its fire endurance. It didn't last very long."

Cyril shook his head, tears leaking into his eyes, "I can't believe I bought my daughter a defective guinea pig!" He suddenly straightened and grabbed the eldest's hand. "In we go!"

"I wanna go in too, _hee-hee."_

* * *

Cyril gaped. Jasdevi gaped. Road gaped. Tyki (more subtly) gaped. They watched as the boa constrictor curled around Kimiaru's neck and she giggled, stroking its scaly skin.

"Isn't it cute father?" she turned to Tyki, eyes filled with mirth as her fingers played with the tip of the reptile's tail.

"Yes, very _cute_ indeed."

Her golden orbs lit up when she spotted a black mamba, "that one! I want to try that one!"

The shopkeeper shot an anxious look her way, "but that one's poisonous."

"Oh, I'll be fine," she unwrapped the snake already around her neck and tossed it at the owner (who jumped five feet back – therefore allowing it to land on a little girl who in turn screamed 'SNAKE!' and had everybody running around like maniacs). She picked up the dangerous animal and let it bind itself around her waist. "Haha! It's like a belt!"

The store owner (after calming down his hectic customers) was next to the unoccupied members of the Noah family, gawking just like the rest of them. "She's one fearless girl isn't she?"

"Where did Debi go?" Jasdero asked, looking around unsurely. He was just able to catch a glimpse of his brother snatching a rodent from its cage and sneaking up on the girl fawning over her new favorite: The King Cobra.

The blonde plugged his ears when he saw the furry mammal being set on the brunette's shoulder.

* * *

'_**Stop manipulating the snake's emotions.'**_

'_But if I don't, then it won't come out of hiding.'_

'_**It's just a snake!'**_

'_A very cute snake.'_

'_**You're insane.'**_

Kim tapped the Cobra's head gently as it slithered around her arm. She felt a soft pressure on her left shoulder and frowned; her hair was back in a ponytail so it couldn't have been bothering her.

Her head turned as her orbs locked on the creature trying to make itself comfortable next to her neck.

Rat.

She screamed-shrieked-yelled-whatever you want to call it. Her hand lifted to slap the offending animal from her arm as she hastily shook off the uncomfortable snake.

"Get it off!" The mouse-like rodent slipped into the back of her shirt and crawled down her spine, "Get it out!"

Tyki let his gaze land on the smirking ravenette, "You caused this. You have to end it."

Grumbling, Debitto made his way over to the flailing sixteen-year-old, ducking her arms and slipping a hand under her shirt. He felt around for the vermin that _**wouldn't stop moving**_ and finally his hand closed around something – that wasn't the rat. The chocolate-haired girl's face turned red as she stared at him, before jolting when the evil mammal paraded around her waist. Debi caught the tail and yanked at the furry animal until it came out – not before leaving a few scratch marks on the youngest's porcelain skin.

Kim stumbled backwards and fell onto her dad's waiting arms, gasping for air as the pest was put back in its cage. She was literally trembling as she was led out of the store, still hyperventilating when she got into the car.

"Aww, Kimi-chan, it's okay, _hee-hee_," Jasdero gave her a hug and held her until she had calmed down – at least a little bit.

The brunette's eyes landed on Debitto, "I. Will. Kill. You."

* * *

**rainbowdragongirl101:** Same thing happened to me in art class except with my skirt. Acrylic paint is a killer.

**oOlslollypopOo:** Thanks! :D

**blueicefireNINJA4:** I hate sad endings! But I might just watch it since you made me curious...

**pandosthepanda:** New reader! You really do that? That is the nicest thing ever! I'm really, really happy you like the story!

**Mango To The Max:** New reader! Yay! I'm so glad to hear that you like this story - I swear, I was so depressed when I saw how little stories they were with the twins. I mean, seriously, they're so awesome!*Gasp* But you _must_ review, it makes me so happy!

* * *

**Okay, so **oOlslollypopOo** was the 100th reviewer and gets to request a special chapter :D Now, it may not be too clear, but if you squint enough, you can _maybe_ figure out Kim's fear (aside from the furry animals.) First person to get it gets to request a special chapter! Again, it does not have to be in the storyline. I hope you liked this chappie. **Review!


	20. Jasdero Gets A Clue

**Writer's block sucks. I may have been staring at a page with only two lines written for HOURS because I had no freakin' idea what to write. I think this chapter's rushed and I'm sorry for that - I just really wanted to get it out before school starts because when that happens, it will probably be a couple of months before another chapter is let out. Anyhow, kawaiipandaz (formerly oOlslollypopOo) got to request a chapter and wanted fluff; this isn't particularly fluffy but...well, I don't want to spoil it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own -Man.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter: 20**

**Jasdero Gets A Clue**

The first thing she woke up to was Road's looming face staring down at her; Kimiaru screamed, rolled to the other side of the bed, and fell right off it. The back of her head smacked the coffee table beside the lamp and her duvet fell into a messy pile on top of her. _Lovely_.

"Oww, Road, why are you here?"

"School is in ten minutes – everybody's ready and waiting for you."

The brunette zipped into the bathroom, muttering obscenities under her breath and cursing her 'useless' alarm clock that had suddenly disappeared. Road, however, just smirked and produced said alarm clock from her back, deftly hitting the off button just as it was about to ring – it was about time she stopped giving Kimi special treatment and terrorized her just as much as she did with the rest of her family. Strolling to the left, she ventured into her cousin's wardrobe and started emptying it...

* * *

"Late, late, late, late," the youngest chanted as she shot out of the bathroom and into her closet. She paused when she found it completely devoid of clothing except for the one Halloween outfit she had vehemently refused to try on in the store yesterday – it had a note that read: **Daddy and I really want to see you in this. Your uniform and everything else are downstairs in the dining room.**

Kim dropped the piece of paper and glared at the attire staring back at her; with a defeated sigh, she took it off its hangar and proceeded to put it on.

* * *

"Road, _hee-hee_, why are there lots and lots and lots of clothes on the table?" Jasdero asked, picking at the eggs on his plate.

"Because I have to make Kimi-chan do something and I can't without getting all her clothes down here."

"Road, please don't torture my daughter."

"Don't worry – it's not torture at all…"

"Tyki! How dare you accuse _my _daughter of mistreating yours?

Debitto surveyed the scene impassively, picking at his food as he fought the urge to throw the pie right next to him, at his hyperactive brother. He didn't want to dirty his uniform because if he did, the Earl would have his throat. The soft padding of feet was heard and he turned his gaze to the doorway; his eyes widened.

* * *

Her speed decreased as she neared the dining room. She did _**not**_ want to go in there but she knew she had to – if she ever wanted any of her clothes back at least. So, intent on getting this over with as quickly as possible, she finally stepped into the entrance of the dreaded room and rolled her eyes when the gasps and snickers reached her ears.

The raven-haired twin was the first to react - he fell out of his chair, laughing like a crazed hyena. "W-What on _**earth**_ are you _**wearing**_?" he demanded, rolling about on the floor.

"I think Kimi-chan looks cute!" Jasdero shot out of his seat and gave the brunette a tight hug. "You're such a cute bunny!"

"Aww, adorable!" Cyril was next and practically crushed his niece, squeezing like there was no tomorrow. She sputtered and gasped before finally feeling herself being pulled _through_ her uncle and to her father; he grasped her shoulders and looked her up and down, trying to mask the smirk curving his lips.

"It's not funny," she whined, hands crossed over her chest. Kim was wearing a fluffy little rabbit outfit; it was the full costume complete with attached feet, ears, and paws – no exceptions. The body was a pale pink while the oval in the middle was white, her ears had the pink outside and white inside while whiskers sat on the sides that covered her cheeks.

"Who knew my cousin was such a cutie?"

The sixteen-year-old chanced a glance at the oldest and shoved her – almost chuckling – father away, "Where is my uniform – and everything else?"

"Down there," the female Kamelot casually pointed at the heap that was lying at the far end of the table.

"You can't be serious!"

"I am," she smiled and continued with her breakfast.

Stalking towards all her garments, attire, and whatnot, she didn't notice the panting male on the floor and jumped when he grabbed her ankle. He looked like he was about to say something, then started sniggering again and lay his unoccupied hand on his heart to steady his heartbeat. Kimiaru scowled and began to walk again…before she remembered that his hand was still clamped around her leg; she was sent toppling to the floor – her hand found the tabletop and clutched it, but that made the tablecloth come flying on top of them, not forgetting the food.

Plates and bowls came crashing to the floor, platters were sent soaring forward until they were pulled down by gravity, and glasses shattered loudly, spreading around the ceramic surface. Once all the noise of breaking objects stopped, she rolled out from under the material and crawled onto a less cluttered area, watching Debitto do the same.

He winced when his hand came into contact with a broken shard, but his expression changed once his gaze landed on the chocolate-haired female. Laughter echoed throughout the room until it was replaced by choking once the rabbit launched herself at him.

In the end, she was pulled off by the blonde teen and hauled up the stairs and back into her room with instructions to change into her uniform. She then had to stomp back into the dining room to retrieve all her apparel that _included_ her uniform; ignoring the strong impulse to punch the laughing twin.

* * *

"Kimiaru, Debitto and Jasdero." Said students turned to the speaker and were met with the sight of Zatsuno Botomi, lounging under the shade of a tree. "You know, it's kinda weird that it's still pretty hot even though it's autumn."

"If you're going to talk about the weather, then don't expect me to pay attention," the brunette deadpanned – she was in a bad mood from the morning's events and she honestly didn't want to deal with him now. "Well, this has been a lovely conversation but we must go to class."

"That's not true," he suddenly sat up straighter, "seniors have a free period by this time – isn't that right _Jasdevi?"_

"Quite," the blonde piped. "But we certainly don't want to spend it with you."

"I really hope you reconsider that, because we don't want _these_ getting out into the school newspapers now do we?" He produced three full color photos: one of Debi lying on top of Kim, gaze centered on her lips, and Jasdero standing to the side; the exact same picture taken by none other than Natane Botomi himself. Another of Jasdevi strutting down the runway in Natane's Autumn Line, and the last, Debitto with a brush in his mouth as Miriam, the make-up artist, dusted eye-shadow on his face.

"Where did you get those?" the youngest reached for the snapshots but the nineteen-year-old pulled it back and shook his head amusedly.

"Now, now, don't you know that Natane Botomi is my brother?" he chimed, eyes glinting delightedly once he saw the malice rising in hers. "What you should also know is that if your little boyfriends' team-"

"They're not my boyfriends-"

"-don't lose the volleyball game tomorrow, then these are going to be posted up everywhere. Lockers, newspaper, changing rooms, bathrooms – you name it, and think of all the rumors that will spiral from this. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like your decision by lunchtime; if you don't tell me by then, then I will make copies of these and put them anywhere and everywhere I can find whether or not you lose the game." He hopped up, "Well little girl," he gestured towards the junior, "you'd better get going." Then he was off, striding down the schoolyard without a care in the world.

"Aww, don't worry Kimi-chan, we'll make sure he doesn't have a chance to post those in school."

Kim glanced at the submissive twin and smiled wholeheartedly, "Nope. I'll take care of it," her eyes landed on the other senior, "and don't worry _Debi-chan_, I'll make sure no little photos destroy your bad-boy image," she announced as if talking to a baby.

The addressed teen raised an eyebrow, "Are you, Kimiaru, saying I can't take care of him myself?"

"Of course not _Debi-chan._"

"Then are you calling me a girl? Because I'm pretty damn sure you're using the wrong honorific."

She patted his shoulder sympathetically, "You poor, gender-confused teenager." The female Noah then bolted into the entrance with a huge grin on her face while screaming, "Debitto's a _girl_, Debi-chan's a girl!" He was soon to follow, hurtling after her at a frightening pace as she continued her song and dipped and dived into random hallways.

* * *

It took ten minutes of zooming throughout the school, annoying teachers, bruising a ravenette's reputation, and raising doubts about said ravenette's masculinity until she was finally caught in a deserted hall. Debitto clamped down on her upper arm and whisked her around, a glare prominent on his features as he shoved her against a locker.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I was just…" she trailed off unexpectedly, staring as if seeing him for the first time. "You have a really pretty face, do you know that?"

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second; just as he was about to question her sanity, she continued, "Perfect bone structure," her hand reached out and turned his head to the side, "Smooth skin, not a blemish in sight," she turned it to the other side, "Great cheekbones, no wrinkles, slender jawline" she turned him back to face her, "And gorgeous lips." Her eyes met his and she leaned in ever-so-slowly, expression neutral as she grazed her mouth over his which caused a cluster of tingles to explode throughout his body. Inclining her head slightly, she went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips fully onto his – gilt orbs slipping closed. Debitto's hand tightened the tiniest bit on her bicep but there was no resistance.

"Debi! What are you doing to poor Kimi-chan?" She was wrenched out of his grasp by none other than the blonde seventeen-year-old, stumbling a little bit as she regained her balance. It was as if she suddenly realized what she had done; her face turned completely red, the scarlet color travelling to the roots of her hair, tips of her ears and back of her neck.

The flaxen-haired twin turned towards her and frowned at his brother, "See, you were suffocating her!" He patted her head then heaved her over his shoulder and strode away.

* * *

Where on earth was his twin? Jasdero jogged around aimlessly, looking left and right for the person he called his brother and huffed when there was no sight of him. The telltale shout of "Debitto's a girl!" had him speeding towards the left side of the school where the science lab, gym, and rooftop stairs were located. He heard the smack of skin against metal and the ravenette's angry voice asking the youngest what the heck she was doing. There was an inaudible answer and he peeked over the side of the wall to see an almost in-trance Kim speaking to a very, very surprised Debi. She was talking about his face, which was weird since she slapped that very face the day before for what he did at the pet store.

He kept his aureate eyes trained o them before letting a quiet, astonished gasp leave his mouth when she kissed him.

She kissed him. Kim kissed Debi. Was he hallucinating? Apparently not since he felt the disbelief swelling throughout his brother's being – and there was a hint of something else, not revulsion, not alarm, but was that _pleasure_ settling in the pit of his stomach? He suddenly felt a foreign, ticklish sensation and it wasn't very comfortable – so he put an end to it.

"Debi! What are you doing to poor Kimi-chan?" He snatched her away from him then put his hands on his hips; however, he didn't miss the way the brunette's face heated up – it was as red as a ripe cherry. "See, you were suffocating her!"

His twin looked just as confused as he felt.

He abruptly hefted the brunette over his shoulder and zipped over to her physics class – it had already started but no matter; he kicked open the door and literally threw her inside, closing the wooden object before he heard the loud _thump_ and the shriek of a few astounded students.

Debitto was just rounding the corner when Jasdero barreled into him and dragged him to the other half of the school, up the stairs and onto the roof. There, he whipped him around to face him and stared at him expectantly.

"You have a _**lot**_ of explaining to do. Sit."

* * *

"Kim? Are you okay?" Sonrisareina patted the brunette's shoulder only to have her jolt as soon as she made contact.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry, I was spacing out."

"Obviously; it must be pretty serious since your face is all red."

"It's-" she paused and felt her cheek, almost wincing at the amount of heat radiating from it. "Oh."

"_Oh_," the Spanish girl mimicked, she stopped walking. "Honestly, what has you so out-of-it today?"

"I'm not _out-of-it_."

"Really? Then would you care to tell me why you're walking towards the 'Design and Technology' room when our literature class is right here?"

"You humans are so annoying," the youngest muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Sauntering in, the Noah sat at the back table and listened to her teacher talk. She inwardly laughed at the scowl setting itself on Sonrisareina's face as soon as the over-dramatic man began his lecture.

It wasn't long before he said something that made everyone straighten up. "We're going to have a play!" The amount of groans and excited squeals were indistinguishable but they all settled once he held up a hand. "We will be performing William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' in a month's time and auditions are today, tomorrow and Wednesday!"

"But none of us have had any time to prepare."

"Not a problem! You'll only have to recite a few things from the pages we've already gone over and the ones we're going over today. Auditions at lunch time! By the way, everyone has to be in this, so if you don't come and audition as someone, then I _**will**_ make you a tree. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

He turned away and walked over to his desk before Sonrisareina grasped the Noah's wrist; her eyes were swimming with excitement.

"Now," their sensei returned from behind the table with a paper and pen, "Does anyone have any idea of who they'd want to be for the play?"

"Brutus!" The Spanish girl's arm was up in the air not a moment after he finished speaking. "Me! Me! Me! Please! I've always wanted to be Brutus!"

"We'll see, we'll see."

* * *

Junichi sat down next to Kim as she swirled her spoon in the soup before her; it was lunch time and she was clearly upset about something.

"Hi."

"Hi," she muttered, a scowl painting her features as she glanced forward. It wasn't long before her spoon snapped due to the pressure she was putting on it.

In an effort to ease the anger rolling off the brunette in waves, he spoke, "where's Sonrisareina?"

"Auditions."

"For what?"

"Julius Caesar."

"Huh, who's she auditioning as?"

"Brutus." Her voice was no less than a lethal whisper by now and the glass of water in her hand abruptly shattered.

Junichi flinched and gazed at the direction she was looking at; next to Debitto was a giggling cheerleader, running her hands over his biceps and gasping at how strong they were. Jasdero was beside him, acting as carefree and hyperactive as he always did. Debi was smirking slightly as she fawned over him.

"I can't believe you're taking on Zatsuno Botomi's team tomorrow, I heard he's really good," she gushed, "Do you think you'll be able to beat them?"

It was just at that moment that Zatsuno decided to waltz in, gesturing for Jasdevi to come towards him. They stood up, ushering their 'fan' away and proceeded to talk – Kim only caught a little bit of the conversation but she definitely heard the "No!" coming out of both their mouths.

"We're not losing to you on purpose, simple as that," they chorused.

"Then I guess these pictures are gonna get out."

"You keep thinking that," then both twins were back to their table, chatting freely with no restraints. And then the annoying cheerleader was back on the ravenette.

_Snap_ went the sixteen-year-old's fork. "Junichi." She turned to him, still looking furious but breathing in deeply to reign in her ire.

"Can I help you?" His blue eyes wincing under her intense stare.

"Are there going to be cheerleading tryouts anytime soon?"

"Thursday."

"Thank you," she stood up once the cheerleader snaked her hand over to the dominant twin's neck and ambled over. "Excuse me," her faked smile was stuck on her face, "You're in my seat."

The addressed female sneered, "Your seat? Last time I checked, I was here _first_." But then she looked into the junior's eyes and suddenly felt happy, relaxed, and content.

"That may be so, but it's _my_ seat. You get that right?"

"Of course," she smiled cheerfully, "You can have it."

Kimiaru sat down and _politely_ shooed her away, then turned her attention to the other members of the volleyball team at the table. "Hi!"

Mumbled greetings met her ears and she switched back to the Noahs, "Jasdero, how was your day?"

"I need to talk to you, _hee-hee_," he grasped her hand and she was out of the cafeteria in a second, stumbling over her own two feet with the immense speed that the blonde was going at. In less than a minute, she was on the roof panting for breath as the person who had dragged her there spun around idly. "Are you done gasping yet? I really need to talk to you."

After a moment of calming breaths, she settled on the bench next to a giant vent and waited for the male to speak to her.

He was suddenly jumping up and down, exhilaration evident in his actions. "You like Debitto!"

A pause. "What made you think _that?"_ But her act of disbelief didn't work on him.

"Well, there's the fact that when you chose to get back at him the day before school started, you did it in a very…_interesting_ way. Not to mention the way you acted when he did all that stuff to you in the dressing room when we were done with the fashion show."

"Well that was-" she paused suddenly, "How do you know about that?"

"Well, after Miriam took me out, and started whining to you, I snuck back in and hid in one of the closets to see what you would do…maybe."

"Jasde-"

"Back to the issue on hand: You like Debitto!"

"I don't!"

"Explain the blushing, shaking, cracking voice, increased heart-rate etc."

"I'm a sixteen-year-old girl and Debitto was being…" she trailed off, hoping he would catch on to what she was saying. Lucky for her, he decided not to make her voice her opinion but instead, beamed at her again.

"I know it wasn't _just _your hormones," he sing-songed.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I was still in the closet when you told Tyki!" the blonde exclaimed, "You looked so cute when you said it too!"

'_**He's got you all figured out.'**_

'_You're not helping!'_

'_**Help? Listening to this is **_**way**_** too much fun.'**_

'_I'm happy you care so much for me.'_

'_**Pfft, baby.'**_

"So, how do you think your wedding is going to be? Oh, oh! We need to have white tulips everywhere, red carnations, and buttercup petals floating down from the sky. The cake must be seven layers and let's not forget the venue; now, do you think the beach or botanical gardens-"

"Jasdero! There will be _**no**_ wedding because I do _**not**_ like Debitto!"

"Oh yeah? Then why did you finish the wall for him?"

"What wall?"

The seventeen-year-old furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head slightly, "You're kinda thick do you know that? The wall in the ballroom."

"You mean why I finished painting it? Because the Earl said it had to be done by weekend's end and I wanted to finish it early so I could have a nice sleep on Sunday."

"_Right._"

"Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you kissed him."

"I what-oh."

"How do you explain that?"

She thought for a bit, finger tapping her bottom lip as her face scrunched in concentration, "I…don't…know."

"That's not a good answ-"

"I'm serious Jasdero," the brunette looked almost uncomfortable, "I have no clue what happened. I was annoying him, he pushed me against a locker and it was suddenly like I was on autopilot."

"So…you didn't want to kiss him?"

"Well of course I did but – I cannot believe you just did that! You-you tricked me!"

"I know!" The submissive twin smiled heartily, "I just wanted to confirm that you liked him – I think it's cute!"

"That's what Tyki said," she muttered.

"I know; I was there!" the mirth was evident in his expression as he skipped towards the door leading to the staircase.

"Jasdero?"

He turned slightly, smile faltering when he saw the unsure, insecure look painted on her face. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"Did Debitto…I just wanted to know if maybe – and I just thought that possibly he'd have told you – but I really want to know if he, perhaps, liked the kiss?" Her eyes were on her fidgeting hands, twisting and pinching her fingers as if she was waiting for the verdict of a judge.

"He did tell me." The blonde scratched his head absently, not missing the way the youngest stiffened, or the way she held her breath. "And I honestly think you should ask him yourself. It's not my place to tell you - see you after school." In the bat of an eye he was gone, leaving a very, very frustrated junior frowning at the door he'd disappeared into.

"I wish I was ten again."

* * *

**kawaiipandaz: Hehe, rats scare the life out of me by just running passed - if it was on my shoulder I swear I'd have gone ballistic.**

**xXxNeonSoundxXx: Yup, she can manipulate the emotions of every living thing as long as there's some form of contact (eye contact, skin contact etc.) Her fear isn't about her tattoo changing due to her emotions, but she still has to be careful when feeling anything other than happiness or it's back to that candle room for her. I'll try my hardest to update quicker, but I can't promise anything.**

**MikaUchiha: Thank you, and yes, he did indeed grope her. The mall is the best place for random things to happen - it might be the beach next time :D**

**pandosthepanda: Correct! Her fear relates to being lost or abandoned - some passed event during her childhood had something to do with it. Thank you for reading :D**

**rainbowdragongirl101: My mom despises snakes as well - she can't sit through a documentary of them without changing the channel. Thank you for disciplining Debitto, he definitely needs it since he seems to have fun torturing poor Kimi-chan. I'll go get Lero some water...**

**WolfLover17: What is this? A new reader? Wonderful! Aah, the mystery to what Debitto grabbed...he groped her. Nothing short of grabbing her...uh...nevermind...Thank you for the review!**

* * *

**So yes, after 20 chapters, they've finally had their first kiss. Long wait... It should get less boring from here on out, a mission will come up soon and we get to see what Kimi's pretty mace can do! Since pandosthepanda figured out Kimi's fear (which is being lost or abandoned) she (or he) gets to request a special chapter. Again, it does not have to be in the story line.**

**Please do me a HUGE favour and review - I love all of them and really appreciate them.  
**


	21. Make Him Fall For Her

**School is killing me! It's not necessarily the work, but they give tons of homework for no good reason :( It's so hard to actually make _time_ to write, but yesterday I got lucky and din't get as much work as I always do.**

**This is pretty much a filler chapter and is relatively boring (sorry about that). But the next chapter is much more interesting. **

**pandosthepanda got to request a special chapter and wanted Jasdero to have "a lil more love". The next chapter has a lot of Jasdero in it - I promise, bear with me because I will try to post the next one as soon as possible but no promises.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter:21**

**Make _Him_ Fall For _Her_**

"I got the part of Brutus!"

Kimiaru glanced at the red-head sprinting her way with a bright smile painted on her lips. Forcing a smile of her own, the brunette welcomed the hug she received before pulling back and glancing at the fabric in her friend's hands.

"What's that?"

"A cape – I have to practice walking and running with it without tripping."

"Sounds like fun." Sarcasm was etched into every word.

"What are you so grouchy about?"

"I'm confused about…something."

The Spanish girl dropped onto the bench beside the Noah and crossed her legs, spinning the handle of her backpack over and over again, "Mind telling me what it's about?"

"Yes." That was the immediate answer – no need to ponder over it. "Let's just enjoy this free period, I don't feel like talking about it now."

A hum of approval was what met her ears, "Why weren't you in the cafeteria?"

"I was."

"Yeah - then you disappeared. Junichi said you ditched him to sit with the twins, then one of them dragged you off somewhere and you never came back."

"When exactly did he tell you this?"

"When I finished my audition – I went straight to the lunch room to tell you but you weren't there."

"I don't think you minded though."

"Excuse me?"

A wicked smirk was displayed on Kim's face as she looked up to face Sonrisareina, "Now, now, you can't deny that it was nice having Junichi to yourself."

She turned the color of her hair.

"You can like him all you want, but _nothing _will happen if you don't do something about it."

"Already? This is the _second_ day of school – too quickly if you ask me."

"However, if you ask _me_, I would say that some ridiculous, ditsy cheerleader won't hesitate to snatch him up."

"It's a simple crush – I wouldn't mind."

"Liars piss me off dear."

"I'm serious!"

"At the moment, I don't care. Do something about it."

"Like what? Fall all over him?"

"Stalk him."

The look that the red-head gave the brunette was a mix between utter astonishment, and complete and total disbelief, "Are you feeling okay? Did you bump your head – better yet, did you fall of a cliff? What type of suggestion was that?"

"Join the same extra-curricular activities that he does – then ask him if he's stalking _you_. It's quite simple really…"

"Yes, and simple equals stupid."

"Priss."

"Bitch." Kimiaru gaped. Sonrisareina raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, "You didn't really expect me not to curse, did you? How old do you think I am – ten?"

* * *

"School takes too long to finish," the Spanish girl groaned, smacking her forehead against her locker.

"You whine a lot – do you know that?"

Zatsuno chose that moment to round the corner and bump shoulders with the youngest Noah, earning him a bristle and a scowl. "Get ready – the moment you walk in tomorrow, the pictures will be _everywhere_." Then he was off, striding out the school doors.

"…What was that all about?"

"None of your concern," the red-head frowned at the curt answer, "Hey – can I borrow your cape?"

"Why?"

"I need it for something – don't worry, you'll have it back tomorrow."

"But I _really_ wanted to start practicing today."

"Suck it up – the play's in a month and you'll have plenty time to rehearse."

"I _was_ going to give you the cloak, but now that you've been such a bitch about it, I don't think I will anymore," Sonrisareina proceeded to stuff it back into her bag before a hand enclosed over the fabric.

"Hand it over, and no one gets hurt."

"No."

"Yes."

"_No._"

"_Yes._"

"Then take it from me."

**Challenge accepted.**

Kim tugged the piece of material just as her friend yanked it.

"Leave. It. Alone!"

"I need it you insufferable prat!"

"…Stop using British slang!" And with that, she gave it a particularly hard jerk which had the brunette stumbling forwards as she continued pulling the cape.

"Cease and desist Reina-chan; cease and desist!"

A weird look was sent her way which enabled her to look into the girl's eyes and have her feel a sense of relaxation…– then she wrenched the attire free and smirked triumphantly.

"Reina-chan?" The red-head frowned slightly before rubbing the back of her neck. "I like it…"

"Good. Your name is too long anyway," she smiled sheepishly at the glare she received, "Now, I've got to go. I have stupid, unneeded therapy."

* * *

Zatsuno Botomi shivered slightly as he trudged out of the school gates; it was cold and he had neglected the jacket waiting for him at the dining table this morning.

The three incriminating photos were safe in his bag and the fact that tomorrow, he'd have them pasted all over the school brought a small smirk to touch his lips.

It was honestly the twins' fault. Why did they have to be better at everything than he was? Why were they immune to his teasing? Why were they so damn confident? Well, it didn't matter anymore, because he was going to get them good – and it would be fun.

Heavy footfalls behind the senior made him turn around and come face to face with a cloaked figure. Their face was covered so there was no telling who it was, but the moment he (or she) took a step forward, he knew they were dangerous.

Funnily enough, he had walked right into a dead-end. _Lovely_.

* * *

If he didn't stop whining about how she was twenty minutes late for therapy, she was going to stick a knife up his throat.

"Furthermore, you have to remember that this is for the wellbeing of your mental health – without therapy, it could deteriorate rapidly-"

'_When will he shut up?'_

'_**Kill him.'**_

'_I didn't ask for your input.'_

'_**I gave it to you anyway; now spare me this torture and kill him!'**_

'_I think you're the one that needs therapy…'_

The door swung open and Tyki Mikk walked in, in all his handsome glory, "Kimiaru, what's going on?"

Kashi stood up and shook hands with him, "This is your daughter?" A nod. "Well, right now she's having one of our therapy sessions due to her…fear of fuzzy creatures."

"Is that so?" Tyki cast a glance to the teenager and received a shrug in reply, "I believe she failed to mention that she's already having psychotherapy outside of school, and we're running late to get there."

"Is she?" the psychiatrist looked at the nodding brunette and rubbed his head awkwardly, "Then, in that case, I guess my services are not needed. Please forgive me for this inconvenience – if I had known then I…well anyway, you can take her."

Kim bounced up from the chair, happy and smiling as she strutted passed the shrink and waved as the door closed.

* * *

"Jasdero – give me back my book bag!"

Said blonde stuck his tongue out at the eldest as he perused through her snack-box, "I'm _hungry_."

"I don't care. Hand it over!"

"No!" Her seatbelt was off in a moment and she tackled the stubborn twin to the floor of the car. Tyki seemed to pay no notice as he just continued driving without a care in the world, his daughter was trying to fold some cape-thing in the passenger seat, and Debitto was busy staring into space next to his brother and Road.

Every time the brunette tried to make eye contact with the ravenette, she would find him spacing out and would unintentionally stay gazing at those _perfect_ gilt eyes.

'_**You are **_such_** a hypocrite.'**_

'_Meaning…'_

'_**You're practically enamored with the guy.'**_

'_And how does that make me a hypocrite?'_

'_**You don't know? Wow, Jasdero's right, you really are thick.'**_

'_Nice to know.'_

'_**If you don't figure this out by today, then you're really a moron.'**_

She rubbed her left eye and let out a loud huff, quitting her attempt at folding Sonrisareina's cloak and trying to figure out just what her inner Noah was trying to say. Honestly though, she was getting pretty sick of everything having to do with the senior she was infatuated with.

Kimiaru had felt incredibly idiotic when she got that stupid cheerleader to go away – what good did it do her? She got a seat next to him…whoopee. Where on earth had that ridiculous jealousy come from?

Everything she had done so far within the Noah family had always revolved around _him_. Why?

* * *

The moment the car was parked, akuma maids filed out of the mansion and dragged everyone to their specific rooms. Kimiaru's outfit was waiting for her on her bed as she was shoved in and sat on a chair, containers of make-up being set on the table and opened while a hot, moist cloth dabbed her face.

After the heated napkin was removed – eliminating all dirt on her face in the process – all the cosmetics were dutifully applied and her uniform was effortlessly stripped off. She donned on the mermaid dress quickly and was left to her own devices when she slipped on her shoes.

One look at the mirror had her thinking: **Boring**

Sure, it was a pretty dress but its color was so _dull_. Fuchsia and silver. She absolutely hated it! Maybe it was the threats Road was dishing out that had the teen decide on the stupid thing – but honestly, at the moment, it was absolutely disgusting.

She didn't like fuchsia – heck, she doesn't even like pink! And silver? Just an over sparkled version of gray in her opinion…pretty pathetic.

Fifteen minutes later and she was still glaring at the mirror, wondering how she had managed to choose this ghastly creation. In any other circumstance, she would have been okay putting it on since the boring colors might deter humans from speaking to her – so why was it so important now?

'_**Idiot, it's because you want to look good for him.'**_

There was no protest after that thought was conveyed – was she really going to lie to her inner noah by saying it wasn't true? What good would that do her?

She wasn't even _trying_ to impress him yet she was completely refusing to let herself leave the room with the stupid outfit.

The brunette was debating on whether to forget the whole ball and huddle up on the bed to give herself a long, hard think and a long, hard cry. But that would probably anger the earl and there was no _way_ she was going to do that.

_Impress him._

Maybe she should try that, after all, her brain was already functioning along those lines. She had been pretty clear with her Spanish friend that even though she just had a mini crush on Junichi, then she should do something about it.

Perhaps that was the hypocrisy her inner noah was going on about – she (apparently) had _"more than just a crush"_ on Debitto and she was doing nothing. So why not do something about it, after all, there was nothing she could lose by trying.

Impress him – she would try. Make _him _fall for _her_ – it's worth a shot.

Mission accepted. Requirements for mission: Strong mentality, good…better temper, resilience, and a _different_ dress.

With that in mind, Kimiaru went in search for the one dress that she had never worn in fear of ruining it because it was _just that_ _beautiful_ – and because she wanted to be beautiful too…

* * *

Baby blue suit, frilly collar, shiny Italian shoes, and no form of make-up whatsoever; the twins were set.

Disgust was clear on their handsome features as they gazed at their reflections – Jasdero was even made to remove the stitches from his mouth.

Now they had to make their way downstairs so that Tyki could teach them more lessons on etiquette – yesterday evening it had been the _irritatingly slow_ waltz. Today, it was all about making conversation and how to greet people. _Great._

Tyki rambled on and on about how you had to keep your concentration on dancing even when you were talking with a guest. Stepping on a person's feet is _not_ a plus. He told them the annoying things they were to discuss with other, how you kiss a lady's hand whether she's ugly or not, and all the other information that would make the ball as fun as a wet dishrag.

"The guests will be arriving soon, spend your remaining free-time wherever you want but remember to be available when it's time to welcome them."

Both boys nodded and ventured outside.

"I'll race you to the middle of the maze, _hee-hee_."

"You're on." And they were off – careful not to mess up their pretty little suits.

* * *

One knock sounded on her door. Then another.

"Hold on one sec-aah, there they are." There was the sound of something being kicked across the floor before a "Come in!" was heard.

Cyril opened the door and walked into his niece's room where she was turned around, trying to tie up the problematic corset.

"Do you need help my dear?"

"No – I've almost got it."

"I'm going to help you anyway, you look like a turtle having a seizure with the way your arms are moving." He chuckled lightly at the huff she let out before lacing up the corset with unusual speed. "Better?"

"Much better," she replied, her words slightly breathy due to the constricting article of clothing.

"Now turn around so I can see if you look just as good as you did in the store!"

"About that…" she rotated until she faced him, her hand rubbing her shoulder nervously, "I didn't really want to wear _that_ dress…so I put on this one."

The diplomat blinked a few times before looking up at the worried expression the brunette was sporting.

"If you don't like it then I'll wear the other-"

"Hmm? Wear the other one? Oh sweetheart it's gorgeous – you're gorgeous!" He was practically bouncing up and down as he circled her, checking the appearance from the back as well as the front to get an overview. "Where did you get this, it's absolutely terrific!"

"There was a shoot advertising formal wear and I got to choose whichever outfit I wanted, so I chose this."

"Wonderful choice!"

The gown she had donned on was separated into three parts: The top part was a corset that went from her chest to her stomach, the second was from her stomach to just below her hips, and the bottom bit flared out and completely covered her legs and feet.

Almost the entire dress was a lovely lime green, save for the intricate details embroidered or sewn into it and a portion at the bottom.

The sleeves were thin spaghetti straps that folded into bows at the junction between her shoulder and neck, then stretched down her back, slowly thinning until they became straps for the back. Material draped loosely around her biceps before coming round to the front and attaching themselves to the fabric just below the neckline. The corset itself had a conservative U-neck, fusing perfectly with her upper torso and accentuating her bust. Red roses were positioned in an upside-down triangle fashion that trailed all the way down to where her naval was supposed to be.

The mid-section had bows coating the lines that separated it from the other two parts of the dress – it hugged her hips but aside from that, it was plain.

The lowermost part of the gown was definitely the most lavish. It was the only section that wasn't green – instead, it was a striking, ivory white. Exact copies of the roses from the top were imprinted horizontally in six lines, stretching around the base until it met its beginning. Swathed over it was more lime material, being pinched in certain areas but otherwise, falling around.

"I love, love, love it!" Then he paused, staring pointedly at her bare neck, "Where's the necklace?"

"The what?"

"Necklace! You can't go without a necklace!"

"…Why not?"

"Have you ever actually _been_ to a ball before?"

"No."

"So you don't know how to waltz?"

"I do, I do. I had to take some stupid dance classes when I was younger."

"You still remember it?"

"Of course, it's not that hard."

"Aside from that, show me where your jewelry is; we have to spruce you up!"

* * *

He was hoping the walk throughout the maze would clear his head, but no such luck. His whole day had been filled with the kiss he had received from the bipolar brunette and it absolutely refused to leave his mind.

What was with her today? She had been her usually annoying and moody self in the morning, almost strangling him because he laughed at her bunny costume and running around the school, screaming that he was a girl. Then she did a 180 degree switch when he cornered her.

Words about his perfect face had left her mouth and he'd been too shocked to do anything. Too shocked to ask her if she'd lost her marbles, too shocked to move away when she leaned forward, and too shocked to do a single thing when she pressed her lips to his. And he liked it…

Her lips were gentle, plump, and oh-so kissable; her eyes, even though quite distant at the time, were tinged with a deep orange as her face moved closer to his, gauging his reaction. He could almost swear he'd seen a blush creep up on her cheeks, but when Jasdero pulled her away, it was quite obvious since the entire surface of her face was heated and red.

Kimiaru was pretty – that much he could admit – and her attitude was…interesting, but he'd never thought of a relationship with her. The dream in Spain was definitely _hot_, and he'd had a lot of fun making her flustered after the fashion show, but he _really _liked the kiss. He couldn't kiss her if they weren't a couple, but he could still make her flustered if they were…

He stopped suddenly and blinked – was he really contemplating how it would be to get together with Kim? Her? The girl who took great joy in causing him pain?

'_I think I hit my head somewhere.'_

But that irritating voice of reason that whispered _liar_ sounded throughout his head as he made it to the middle, beating his brother by only a few minutes.

* * *

Excited voices filled the ballroom as guests arrived and made themselves comfortable, choosing partners to dance with and exchanging pleasantries as they went along.

The twins meandered throughout the room, greeting the visitors, kissing hands, and charming young ladies with their award-winning smiles. Cyril and his daughter were lounging securely on the rails above that overlooked the entire area, surveying the scene casually.

"They look really weird acting all nice and stuff."

The diplomat hummed agreeably, eyeing the brothers who had simultaneously accepted a dance and were gliding across the floor.

"Where's Tyki?"

"He's with your cousin."

"Doing what? They should be down here."

"When I left, she was having issues trying to put her hair up in a bun."

"It's too long to do that."

"She'll figure it out soon enough – especially since your uncle will be standing aside, doing nothing to help."

"Typical Tyki."

"Correct, my dear."

* * *

"Stop fidgeting."

"I've never been to a ball before – can you blame me?" Kimiaru muttered, however, she ceased her picking at the fingers of her gloves.

"It's not so bad; just be pleasant."

"Can't I somehow skip this?"

"If you really wanted to, then I'd say yes, but you obviously don't since you bothered change the dress you were to originally wear. Want to tell me why you did that?"

"Just because."

"I'd prefer not to have a liar as a daughter. The truth – now."

"I'm doing it for…someone."

"That explains it," he led her down the stairs and into the swarm of people, "Well then, go find that _someone_."

* * *

**MikaUchiha:** Thank you! I didn't really plan the kiss being in this chapter but when I got to the locker part I figured that should happen :D

**rainbowdragongirl101:** The kiss was definitely partly her inner noah's fault - she's more impulsive, but Kimi still was in control of herself when she did so. Yes, Road is going to make her life 10x more difficult than it has to be; after all, she did push Debitto onto Kim just before the fashion show ;D

**kawaiipandaz:** Thank you!

**pandosthepanda:** Not to worry, Jasdero will play a pretty big part in the next chapter.

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 1):** Such a long review...I love it! When I finished the -Man series I didn't even try the manga. I'm lazy like that too :P I just had to had Debitto asking her whether she went through PMS - he has no tact whatsoever...

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 2):** Her hair is brown - I honestly have to get rid of that picture. My scanner isn't here so I can't post the new (much better) pictures up but I haven't colored any of them because I suck profusely at coloring _anything_ whatsoever. I'll probably just use a camera to snap a picture...I take Spanish and I barely know anything because all my previous Spanish teachers have either been whiny babies, or have treated us like babies. Jasdero is definitely sweet, but more like a big brother - you'll se what I mean in chapter: 22 :) Debitto can be a prick, but the reason he was scolding her is because if anything happened, he would get that lecture from the Earl...which he ultimately got anyway =/

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 3):** That's exactly how I feel when I read other stories with that! And since Debi had just taken a bath...*.*

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 5):** If anyone cut my hair I'd break every finger in their hand D: Hair is not an easy thing to take care of...I didn't really notice that the fight's reason had changed until now. I'm clueless. You nailed it - her hatred was definitely because of Kimiaru, due to the fact that she was just bored. No patience whatsoever.

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 8):** Road's ways of fixing things are indeed quite violent/sneaky ;) Jasdero - such an adorable, caring boy. yes, he will do anything to keep his dear chicken safe. Cyril is such a goof - I read a few pages of the manga and I automatically fell in love with him. But I don't read the manga anymore...because I'm lazy and have no spare time on my hands. Perverted Debitto makes a comeback! It was so much fun writing that part! It was bound to happen sometime or the other. All furry creatures terrify Kimiaru - I haven't exactly figured out _why_ but whatever she told her therapist is a lie :) THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS YOU LOVELY BEING OF GREATNESS!

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 9):** Jasdero doesn't like being corrected xD I absolutely love Lero - he's such a funny umbrella! That sentence was strange... Pedro's innocence isn't really special, but since he still has his other piece (the pendulum), his magnets won't get destroyed until that one does or until he dies. Tyki is so laid back and nonchalent but he secretly schemes. Oh, the things you can do with pillows :D Pillow fight are absolutely wonderful - I actually wanted Jasdero and Kimiaru to have a pillow fight but eh... I'll find away to get Debitto to be _nice_ - that's a strange word to use with him, but he'll just have to make an exception 3

**xIzumi-chan:** *Gasp* you evil child! Burn the picture before Road gets a hold of it! Road is the epitome of evil - she's not going to stop at just that ;D

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 12):** School terrifies all children - some are just more expressive at showing it than others. Well, I guess he patted her on the head because he didn't really know how to say goodbye. Jasdero hugged her but he definitely wasn't going to do that.

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 14):** I hate bugs. There is always a full can of bugspray in the closet just in case any dares to venture inside my house. She's acting strange because she doesn't feel that she belongs with the noahs - especially since she's only been with them for a short time.

**-Evans:** I'm really happy you like the story! Language changes are really annoying to do - stupid translating websites mess up everything. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

**yiseunggi (Chapter: 20):** Ah, the bunny costume. I almost wanted to make her hop around but that would be too cruel. You'll have to wait to find out what Debitto told him, but I think most of it is explained in the next chapter.

* * *

**Thank you SO much for all the reviews, I loved them! Again, sorry for this chapter being boring, the next one will be much better than this but maybe just a little shorter. Tell me if I have any spelling mistakes since I'm too much of an impatient person to reread what I've done. I'll try and get it out as quickly as possible - especially since I have school off twice next week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter - Review!**


	22. Do You Think It Could Work?

**Happy New Year! **

**Almost three months of no updates - I'm sorry! I cannot fathom how you readers have actually stuck by me. I started this story a little more than a year ago; after re-reading Hush Hush, watching Harry Potter again, and almost ripping Twilight to pieces because of Bella's idiocy, I went and re-read a few ofthe earlier chapters of this fanfiction.**

**Why did no one tell me that Kimiaru is such a Mary-Sue! I cannot get over how _annoying_ and _perfect_ she is in chapter 1, 2, and 3. When this entire thing is over and done with, I'm probably going to rewrite those chapters because it _pains_ me just looking at them. I'm pretty sure that chapters from chapter: 19 onward are the only remotely decent chapters.**

**Anyway, I would like to say sorry for keeping all you fantastic people waiting. School completely consumed me - I barely had time to breathe! The next chapter might not come out any sooner either because midterms are in a few weeks. This means reviewing notes, and going through textbooks because some of my teachers completely fail at teaching.**

_pandosthepanda_** figured out Kimiaru's fear and was allowed to request a chapter. She wanted one with a lot of Jasdero, and here it is. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter: 22**

**Do you think it could work?**

Her feet were killing her. Two hours of walking around, dancing with polite strangers, and chasing after Road's new hamster that had _somehow_ crawled into the ballroom (which the eldest demanded that she find) had her pumps digging into her sore heels. Slumping into one of the chairs, Kimiaru grabbed a glass of wine sitting on a waiter's tray – which was promptly snatched from her hand by her father.

"Wait two more years my dear," he winked and disappeared into the crowd, sipping from the tall goblet.

"Kimi-chan, you look so pretty!" Coming to stand in front of the brunette, Jasdero nodded once, affirming his statement, before bending down to her ear. "By the way, have you seen my chicken?"

"Your _what_?" she hissed back – mind you, she hadn't found the hamster yet and had only sat down to recover, so if the chicken was on the loose…

She bolted up and took off, speeding through the throngs of people as she searched tirelessly for the stupid rodent. The pain in her feet definitely wouldn't compare to the pain Road would dish out if her pet ever got eaten.

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before prancing up the stairs and onto the second floor, making his way over to the oldest noah who seemed content in watching her cousin run around the ballroom.

"Road, why did you tell me to tell Kimi-chan my chicken is out? He's still in the kitchen," Jasdero enquired, blinking his big golden eyes at her.

"Just because," she smiled at the submissive twin, "So, how's your day been?"

"Weird…you do know Kim likes Debi, right?"

"It's pretty obvious – the only person who doesn't know is Debitto; how cliché. Come watch with me," she patted the space next to her on the rail, gesturing for Jasdero to sit down.

* * *

"Where is that stupid thing?" She was tempted to rip her hair out but that wouldn't leave her very attractive now would it? "Why does everything have to be so damn _hard_?" _Everything_ was annoying, _everything_ was difficult, _every – single – thing _was just so infuriating.

Kimiaru walked forward, graciously apologizing when she bumped into someone and courteously declining an offered dance as she kept searching for the mischievous pet. Then she found it.

A furry little body brushed against her leg – causing her to tense up instinctively as she normally does when faced with small, fuzzy creatures – before darting under one of the dessert tables.

"My day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" she muttered. Getting down on her knees, the brunette peeked under the wooden object, resisting the urge to shriek when the rodent zipped past her _again_, and reached for the pain-in-the-ass mammal. Which just happened to run away again. Which resulted in her hand missing the pest and slapping the floor. Which ultimately led to a shoe coming down _hard_ on her hand.

Mouthing obscenities, she glanced upwards where she met astonished golden orbs.

* * *

Two hours of dancing perfectly (even managing to avoid crushing the toes of the clumsy women he had the misfortune of meeting), and _somehow_ he manages to step on something _in clear sight _just as he was going for a much-needed drink.

He was just about to – ugh – apologize (because it was the _disgustingly _polite thing to do), until, of course, he looked down.

Kimiaru blinked up at him, completely forgetting about her task as she met liquid gilt eyes, "Uh…hi?"

Why was she talking to him like he was a stranger? "What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

She narrowed her eyes at his utter impudence, tracing the contours of his face intensely before a light bulb flashed in her brain, "Debbito? Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Sorry, I couldn't recognize you when you don't have all that make-up on."

"Any idiot would realize it was me."

She bristled, "Not with you looking so…so ," she paused – what was she about to say? That he looked _nice_? "Never mind."

"Go on; tell me what you were going to say, Ms. Prissy."

"Oh, so now I'm _Ms. Prissy _just because I didn't identify you immediately?"

'_**Rein in your temper or this will never work.'**_

"Partly – but seriously, who wouldn't think of you like that with that ridiculous dress?"

"_Ridiculous?" _All thoughts of reining in her temper disappeared.

"You look like some gaudy little princess doll with the stupid flouncy skirts and annoying ruffles. Utterly _ridiculous_," he restated.

"Well aren't you just a charmer," Kimiaru wrenched her hand out from under his shoe and stood, "Thank you so very much for giving me that priceless information – remind me to always consult you before putting on something so _stupidly flouncy_ with all its _annoying ruffles_ that is so completely and utterly ridiculous!"

She spun on her heel and marched away; kicking off her shoes, ripping off her gloves and tossing her necklace to the floor in the process. "The only reason I wore this stupid thing was for you!" Only a few people seemed to notice her fuming escape, but not one person missed the double doors slam closed as she exited the room.

* * *

"What did he _say_?" Road whispered, still staring at the door her cousin banged closed. The whole ballroom had gone quiet, everybody frozen stiff as the sound of wood colliding against wood reverberated against the walls. It took a few minutes for the music to restart and people to begin swaying again, mildly confused but forgetting it once they found a suitable dance partner.

Cyril scanned the floor, "Lost sight of Debitto," he murmured. "Hey you! That's right, I'm talking to you – _put down that vase!_" And he was off, shooting down the stairwell to apprehend the guest.

"Jasdero, I-" Road stopped and glanced around the vicinity, "Jasdero, where are you?"

* * *

'_**Now you're allowed to cry.'**_

She didn't need any more prompting; the moment she flopped onto the bed, tears came and she automatically became a sniffly, snivelly mess. She didn't care that her make-up was smearing on her pillow, she didn't care that she was getting her dress rumpled, she didn't care that her green ribbon had come undone and her hair splayed out messily around her, right now the only thing she wanted to do was cry her heart out – she'd read _somewhere_ that it ultimately makes you feel better.

Fifteen minutes later and she vowed to kill the idiot that had written that; not only had the onslaught of tears dried up her throat, but her head had developed a pounding migraine and smudged make-up coated her face. Not to mention the fact that she was _still_ crying.

The door flung open (why does she always forget to lock it?) and Jasdero sauntered in wearing footie pajamas.

Kimiaru blinked upon his arrival, immediately noticing the two pillows clutched in his hands and the bucket of candy he was kicking forward. Once he managed to close the door, he dropped everything he held and grinned triumphantly, his expression faltering when he saw her face.

"Aww, Kimi-chan, have you been crying?" he asked.

The brunette nodded slowly, her headache preventing her from doing anything more than that.

"Do you want a hug?" he sat down by her side, rubbing comforting circles on her back.

She nodded again and spread her arms, ready to receive the offered-

In no more than two seconds, she had been pushed out of the room with orders to wash her face because he wasn't going to get his ducky pajamas dirty.

Two minutes later and she was back with a freshly cleaned face – no form of make-up present at all. She shut the door behind her and wiped at one of her eyes before being engulfed in strong arms, "Does this feel better?" Jasdero cooed, "You know you like it."

"Yeah," the brunette admitted, resting her pounding head on his shoulder, "Why are you here?"

"Because I saw you leave the ballroom all unhappy and stuff so I wanted to make you happy again."

Kimiaru pulled back, sniffing once and rubbing her nose, "How do you expect to do that?"

"By having a sleepover! Now change into you pj's."

* * *

Jasdero was a miracle-worker.

It had only taken three lollipops, eight caramel-chocolate bars, two hard toffees, and one hour of comforting/asking questions for both of them to be jumping on the bed, laughing and sharing ridiculous jokes.

"And so the chicken said to the chick, _'That's __**egg**__sactly what I mean!'_" the duo burst into another set of giggles – until of course, one of them fell off the bed.

Kim winced and jumped off the mattress, ambling over to the injured male, "Are you okay?"

"Psych!" and he pushed her straight over the bed.

She let out a pained groan, standing up slowly before glaring at the blonde. "Oh, it's on!" she grabbed a pillow, he grabbed a pillow, and pandemonium erupted.

Feathers littered the room not a little while later as they each smacked each other with the fluffy items. With a particularly hard swing, Jasdero was able to knock Kim off of her feet before tackling her to the floor, pinning her firmly beneath him.

"I win, _hee-hee_."

"Oh really?" and then the roles were switched – she was on top now. "I believe I win."

He grinned, she paled – and for good reason. He attacked her ribs mercilessly, tickling her until she was screaming out with laughter and happy tears made the familiar path down her cheeks.

"St-stop it you m-maniac! I'm dying, stop J-Jasdero!" It took all of five minutes for Kimiaru to finally kick him in the stomach and crawl away while he was doubled over – she took several deep breaths to replenish what was lost before glancing over at the – still in pain – blonde. "Jasdero, you're alright, aren't you?"

"Yeah…but you're not."

She frowned, grabbed a lollipop and scooted over to him. "What do you mean?"

He sat up, resting his back on the wall before glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "You're complicated, irrational, big-headed and an all-round nuisance," (insert gasp of indignation here), "But you're fun, adorable, slightly strange, and sweet when you want to be. Some of those things you have in common with Debitto, and some you don't. Now tell me, do you actually think _anything_ could work out between the both of you."

She blinked at him, taking a little time to register all that was said before she rubbed the back of her neck, "Now that you put it that way," she muttered, "I guess not."

"Well then, there's no point of you even liking him. If you honestly cannot fathom something working out between the two of you, then your feelings are useless," he declared.

"Wait! I just – with what you said-"

"That shouldn't make a difference. Debitto's my brother and I care for him more than anything else in the world. If by chance you two do become a couple, he falls madly in love with you but because you think the whole thing is too weird you break up with him, I will _never_ forgive you. And if you don't think it could work between you and him but still try to get into a relationship with him, I will do everything in my power to thwart your attempts. Have I made myself clear?"

She nodded, completely at a loss for what to say.

"Now contemplate it: Do you think _anything_ between you and Debitto will work? Last chance – make the right decision."

And she did think. It took a good half-hour but Jasdero was patient and this was the most serious she had ever seen him.

Could anything really work out? They fight enough as it is but if they became boyfriend and girlfriend, everything could just be mayhem from start to finish.

'_**Not to mention your jealous tendencies.'**_ Of course, how could she forget about _that_? Their chance at something looked slim, especially since she didn't know anything he liked (that became obvious from the dress incident). Would she seriously risk her mental and emotional state just to be in something that could collapse the first hour? Was _he_ actually worth it?

'_**Yes.'**_

'_You're bothering me.'_

'_**No, you're bothering me with your extreme stupidity.'**_

'_I'm trying to think – leave!'_

'_**And how's the thinking working out for you? You know just as well as I do that you'll say yes.'**_

'_I might not…'_

'_**And what reason do you have not to?'**_

'_He's. A. Jackass.'_

'_**That didn't stop you from liking him. I'm not here to piss you off; I'm in your head, I know your feeling. You ADORE him and whether you like it or not, you're going to say yes.'**_

'_That doesn't mean I think it could work.'_

'_**Really? Because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have tried in the first place if you didn't.'**_

It took a while for her to process all those thoughts, before she finally came up with a resolute answer.

"Jasdero?" he turned his attention towards her. "I say yes – if I really tried, then something could be able to work out between us."

"He might make you cry again."

"I know; I'll just have to deal with it."

"That's good," the blonde yawned before sliding down to lie flat on the floor, "You'll definitely need my help."

"That's for sure. Oh no – Road's going to kill me…"

"Why?"

"Because her stupid new hamster got out and if your chicken is loose too, then he'll probably eat it."

"My chicken's in the kitchen," he murmured, and quickly sprang to his feet as the brunette went chasing after him, screaming about the amount of trouble she'd gone through because she thought his useless rooster was on the loose. After that sentence, he, in turn, chased her because she called his chicken "useless."

* * *

As soon as the last person left the ballroom, Debitto kicked off his shoes and ran a gloved hand through his hair. He exited quickly and made his way to his room, hoping to find his brother (who had mysteriously disappeared) inside. But he didn't.

Instead, Tyki sat lounging on the desk, seemingly content in studying a fountain pen.

"Do you mind me asking what the hell you're doing in my room?" he removed his tie, tossing it onto the bed before stripping off his suit jacket and shirt.

"Just came to talk," Tyki shrugged, spinning the chair next to the table, "Sit."

Ambling over, albeit a bit cautiously, the ravenette sat down, leveling the older man with a curious gaze, "And what exactly do you want to talk about?"

"Do you, by any chance, know the circumstances in which Kimiaru became my daughter?"

"Didn't Cyril force you?"

"Yes, actually, he did. And because of that, I now take the role of her dad."

"Where is this going?"

"Shh, just listen. It's a father's duty to protect their child."

"Uh huh…"

"So when they see their kid run out of a ballroom, they try and find out why. Do you care to explain Debitto?"

"Not really, I'm too tired to think of her hissy fits."

"I'm sorry; maybe I gave you the wrong impression. You don't have a choice. Start speaking."

The twin glanced at the older male, intending to just shoo him out of the room – but Tyki wasn't wearing his normal expression.

Instead of the smirk that was almost always etched into his face, a foreign scowl was present.

There was no mistaking that look. He was _pissed_.

* * *

It had definitely taken a while, but after a destructive hyper-mode, Kimiaru had finally fallen asleep. Jasdero watched silently as her chest rose with every breath she took; her lips were still tinged with orange from a lollipop and her toes folded over each other restlessly as if her sugar-high had transitioned over to her dream.

A bruise was evident on her arm and steadily growing purple – an injury related to the time they had set aside to play _wrestling_.

Blonde hair shifted slightly as the owner tilted his head to regard the brunette – he hadn't really _looked_ at her, so he was taking the time he had now to do so.

Her skin wasn't as tan as he had previously thought; it was slightly pale with little scars littering a few areas. The scars weren't huge (excluding the one on her back), probably results from childhood accidents.

Her hair was a mix between a chestnut, and dark chocolate – it varied between both shades, depending on the lighting, but no one would be able to decide whether it was one or the other.

A small whimper left her mouth and she curled further into a ball, her peaceful expression contorted into a frown. Her palms fisted before loosening and gripping the pillow Jasdero had brought in.

Jasdero tapped her head with two fingers – he did it three times before she whispered something incoherent and swatted half-heartedly at his fingers.

"Nightmare," the blonde surmised, flicking her head, "Not too surprising after all that sugar."

He continued his assault on her head, bringing out a whine as her brows furrowed and she huffed.

"Jas…dero…stop it. Stop…I said to _stop_!" Her eyes cracked open and she glared at him, "What was that all about?" she mumbled.

"You were having a nightmare, so I woke you up, _hee-hee_."

"Don't do it again."

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked, relaxing on his elbows and cupping his chin in his hands.

"Nothing."

"Don't try lying to me," he sing-songed, "Come on, just tell me."

Her golden eyes blinked up at him for a moment, before she closed them and sat up, "It wasn't necessarily a nightmare, it was more like a memory. Basically, when I was about seven, my parents and I went to these gardens and I happened to wander into a maze…"

* * *

**DJams-Evans:** I'm sorry it took so long to update.

**rainbowdragongirl101:** Now you know what happened - Was it what you expected?

**MikaUchiha:** Haha! He's definitely a very lovable character.

**kawaiipandaz:** Thank you!

**i'm to lazy to log in:** Thank you! Well, now you know his reaction xD

**DeathKiki:** I'm sorry I took so long to update.

**yiseunggi:** She's definitely very picky - in everything. I made the mistake of washing my hands with cold water. They're still numb xD

**Kandayuuloverbyheart:** You got more!

* * *

**Again, sorry for not updating for a while. Enjoy and Review!**


	23. I'm Sorry

You guys are so sweet! Thank you _so_ much for all the reviews, I really appreciate them.

I honestly have no clue where this is going. I thought I had a game plan but, as usual, my plans don't always go as they're supposed to. I feel like the past few chapters have been unnecessary rambling and I don't really know what to do, but I won't abandon this. However, I'm probably going to rush this - I want to start on something new that's actually _solid_ and I can't do that without completely forgetting about this.

School _did_ play a pretty big role in my lack of updating - apparently, teachers who are too lazy to teach you what you need to know decide to dump excess projects on you during the second semester because they didn't do well enough in the first. Thank heavens for the teachers I actually liked; they kept me as sane as possible during that time.

Disclaimer: I don't own -Man.

* * *

Chapter: 23  
I'm Sorry

'_She's so frail,'_ Jasdero thought as he listened to Kimiaru's tale about getting lost in a maze for hours on end, almost overcome with panic as she tried to find her way out, and ultimately feeling abandoned when no one came to find her.

When she'd fallen asleep once more, Jasdero lifted himself off the bed and meandered over to the door, walking out and closing it softly so as not to wake her.

He strode along the corridor, head tipped back slightly as he continued to think of the difficulty it would be to match Kimiaru and Debitto together. It would definitely be hard; they were both stubborn and aggressive, but Debi had a soft side whilst Kimi had a vulnerable side.

The brunette's self-confidence was quite low – she was only confident with the things she knew she could do well. This whole relationship business would be especially tricky since her first attempt had failed miserably and Debitto didn't use a lot of _tact_ when it came to expressing his views of the dress.

Honestly, the ravenette didn't really have tact at all. The only times where he was even remotely careful with what he said was when he was speaking to the earl. He was bound to make her cry again – whether he meant it or not and that would definitely be a problem since she had some insecurity issues. But then again, with her overall spoilt nature, it was inevitable that she'd piss him off beyond belief.

Jasdero would probably be stuck in the middle of the whole thing – having to comfort Kim and listen to Debi when he wanted to vent. Oh, the joys of being a brother.

He stopped at his room, intending to enter but it just happened that Tyki phased out through the wall – bidding a goodnight as he walked away. The blonde turned the knob warily and stepped in, eyes immediately finding his less-than-happy twin reclining against the chair.

Sighing, he spread himself out on the bed and waited for the venting to begin.

* * *

"What's going on?"

Sonrisareina blinked before smiling at the brunette who'd just stepped out of her car, before looking back at the countless students crowded around Zatsuno Botomi and the police questioning him.

"He was apparently mugged yesterday by some guy in a cape – he never got to see their face. They beat him up and stole his backpack. There are too many people at the moment but I saw a glimpse of his face before – there were a ton of bruises."

"Interesting," Kimiaru muttered, "Speaking of capes – here's yours!"

"This is the most pathetic attempt at folding I have ever seen," the red-head declared instantly, glaring at the horrendous way that the cloak had been crumpled.

"Excuse me, but I took some precious time trying to put this uncooperative material into a nice, neat square – so be a good little girl and take the stupid thing!"

Sonrisareina snatched the article of clothing before forcing a whining Kimiaru into watching how to meticulously and correctly fold a cape so that it doesn't end up looking like a giant, shriveled up prawn.

It was only when the bell had rung and the brunette used that distraction to bolt into her first class, that the Spanish girl noticed a tinge of red on her cloak. It wasn't there the day before, so it must have been stained when Kim used it.

She brought the crimson corner closer, staring at it intently before deducing by the look – and smell – that it was definitely blood. But what on earth would Kim do that involved blood?

"_I swear – I was attacked by some weirdo in a cape. They just came flying at me but I didn't see who it was."_

Sonrisareina turned her head to the side, surveying Zatsuno's face (the throng of students had dissipated because of the first bell). There were many bruises that could have shed blood.

The exchange that her friend and the school bully had the day before also popped into her mind and she furrowed her eyebrows, her brain linking all the info together – but then again, Kimiaru had therapy yesterday.

But still…

* * *

Debitto walked around the field aimlessly – mulling over thoughts and actions pertaining to the previous day. Tyki's words lingered stubbornly in his mind, refusing to budge until he did what was demanded of him.

"_It had better not be half-assed. I want her to be able to tell me that you meant it." Tyki stood to leave, walking towards the door before shooting one last glance at him, "And Debitto, this had better not happen again." He left it at that – the unfinished threat heavy and dangerous in the air._

He was told to apologize. Seriously?!

'Saying sorry' was not his thing at all, that much became certain when he attempted to apologize after stepping on the brunette's hand. Look how well that turned out.

He _did_ feel a little bit bad for the incident the day before – it wasn't his intention to upset Kim like that; he was just being honest. But apparently honestly didn't bode well with girls – for example: when he told Road her hair looked like a spork on steroids. He still has some scars from the bread-knife.

Jasdero's timely arrival had saved various fragile items in their room from being smashed to pieces. His wonderful brother had listened while he ranted about Tyki, Kimiaru, and the entire ball in general, waiting until Debitto had tired himself out and flopped onto the bed next to him.

_"Are you done?" Jasdero asked, letting out an exhausted breath._

_Debitto nodded, one arm draped across his eyes before nudging his twin with his elbow, "I still can't believe you left me down there with all those googly-eyed humans - where did you disappear to anyway?"_

He wasn't surprised that Jasdero had followed the brunette – the blonde was abnormally curious – but the fact that he made Kim _cry_ was a little bit shocking; not to mention the moment the guilt had actually registered. Yeah, maybe he had gone a little overboard because of his bad mood at the ball, but he didn't think it was enough to send her into a fit of tears; but apparently it did.

Now all he had to do was find a way to apologize without making a huge mess of it and everything would be fine. Easier said than done…

* * *

It was an easy win. Zatsuno's team lost miserably as the volleyball was slammed countless times onto their side of the court. The game would have been boring if not for Jasdero's overenthusiasm with every point they scored.

"That was sad," Sonrisareina declared, "I just wasted forty-five minutes of my life watching an idiot's team lose. _Oh joy!_"

Kimiaru shrugged, "No one can win against those two – they're practically unbeatable at everything."

"So I'm not the only one that noticed," abruptly changing direction and steering her friend towards the table full of cookies, the Spanish girl glanced to the left and nudged the brunette. Hard.

"Either you tell me what the hell that was for or I bludgeon you with a chair."

"He's looking at you."

"Who?"

"Debitto," Sonrisareina stated, watching as the ravenette turned away and his giddy brother followed.

* * *

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can."

"But I _don't_ apologize."

"Well you will today," Jasdero sighed, "You know Tyki will kill you if you don't. I'll just sit here under this tree and watch – that way, when the silence gets awkward, I can save you!"

"You seem happy about this."

"Yeah, well, _your_ bad mood is making me gloomy – if I can get a laugh out of this, all the better."

"Well aren't you the best broth-"

"She's coming!"

Kimiaru raced down the field with precious cargo tucked in her arms; a very angry looking Spanish girl hurtled after her and managed to trip the noah and pin her down.

"You bitch! Give it back to me before I kick your ass!"

"Finders keepers."

"I will literally rip your head off – now hand me my boots."

"…But they're so pretty."

"Why the hell do you think I want them back then?!" It took an immense amount of tugging before Sonrisareina managed to yank her shoes out of the brunette's hands and switch them with her gym sneakers, "If you ever – _ever _try that again, I will gouge your eyes out," and with that, she ran back inside the school.

"It's now or never," Jasdero whispered.

"Fine, fine," Debitto hissed; he stalked forward until directly above Kim – who had resigned herself to lying on the grass.

"You're blocking my sun," she whined, inching her eyes open to see who had intruded on her space. "Oh…hi."

"Can we talk?"

* * *

Jasdero was on the brink of hysteria. It was all he could do to keep a laugh in as Kimiaru kept storming away from Debitto, shouting obscenities as she went along. Debitto, however, wasn't withholding from cursing as well; in fact, only difference between both of their actions was that he was following her.

They both came to stop right in front of the blond, arms folded across their chests.

"Would you _please_ teach your insensitive brother how to apologize?!"

"I know how to apologize – I just did a few minutes ago!"

"Asking if we can talk, stumbling over your words, then telling me I shouldn't have worn the stupid dress anyway is not an apology."

"Well you shouldn't have – it was too frilly."

"Do _**not**_go there," she turned back to Jasdero, "Do you see what I mean?"

"You guys are absolutely hopeless!" And that was the only exclamation he could make before bursting into a laughing fit.

Kim flinched slightly, the words taking more meaning than they should have; they really were hopeless if apologizing was such an impossible thing to do. All that sureness she had felt after debating with herself for over thirty minutes on whether this entire thing was worth it or not, completely dissipated – it was obvious she hadn't thought everything through.

It was just so…annoying how nothing was going the way she wanted. Yes, that definitely sounded spoilt but that was how she was raised – everything came to her without a problem, until now of course.

Debitto looked just about ready to kill something; yes, maybe the whole apology thing hadn't gone over too well but at least he'd tried. He glanced at the brunette (as his twin was still giggling like a schoolgirl) and noted her expression was quite strange. She managed to look angry but subtle disappointment colored over her eyes; even her hands – which had previously been clenched to the point that her knuckles were white – were more lax and limp. Was she really that upset?

The only expressions he was used to seeing from her were anger, merriment, and irritation. Sadness just didn't suit her at all – seeing it on her face made him feel…weird and uneasy. It was just as unsettling as the time fear had replaced happiness across her hip.

So, instead of risking Tyki strangling him after a failed effort, he tapped her shoulder and led her to a spot without the sound of Jasdero's high-pitched laughing.

"Look, I'm not _good_ at this kind of stuff, okay? I don't _do_ apologizing – I never have, and I don't necessarily want to. But I will." He paused momentarily, scrutinizing her face for any change of its melancholic state. Nothing. "I'm…shit, how am I supposed to do this? What's the word – I cannot believe I'm blanking on this – I think it started with an 'S'…you know, the one people say when they're – you know what, fuck it. I said something yesterday and you cried because of it – why?"

Kimiaru blinked, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me – why were you crying yesterday?"

"Who told you I was _crying_?"

"Jasdero – and he wouldn't lie to me. Now hurry up and explain what the waterworks were for."

"…You said something mean."

"_You said something mean_," he mimicked, "Are you actually fucking serious?! What, are we in 2nd grade? That is the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard!"

"Are we seriously doing this again?! What happened to a simple '_sorry_'?"

"It was run it over, set on fire, and thrown off a cliff," he deadpanned, "What I want to know is how you made it through middle school if something _mean_ gets you to tear up like a baby."

"I did _not _tear up like a baby, I…wept gracefully."

"Wept gracefully? That has got to be the biggest piece of bullshit I have ever heard in my entire life! And as a matter of fact, a little birdie told me that you were bawling your eyes out when he walked in on you."

"Well tell that little birdie to shut the fuck up before I sew his lips even tighter together; now why don't you lay off, and leave me be!"

The disappointment was completely gone – she looked just about ready to rip his arm off. And he liked that; she was more interesting when angry.

"Leave you be so you can go _weeping gracefully_ into school? Is that it?"

"No!"

"Well I'll probably just have to have that little birdie follow you and make sure–"

"Get _off_ my case! Why the hell are you so freakin' aggravating?! What did I _do_ to make you hate me?!"

And he didn't have an answer to that – it wasn't that he didn't like her; it was just that she was fun to annoy. They'd gotten off to a bad start the first time they met, but their subsequent fights were mostly just teasing and playful; take their paint fight for example.

His pondering stopped the moment he noticed her bottom lip quivering – a sure sign of, "Don't tell me you're going to cry again!"

She threw her hands up in exasperation, tangling them in her hair so as not to lash out, "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize for being emotional, do you want me to beg for forgiveness because I cry when I'm upset? I don't understand why it's so hard for you to get that people do that when they're not happy!"

'_What was I _on_ when I decided he was worth all this trouble?'_

Debitto opened his mouth, but paused at the look on her face. The anger had died down and the unhappiness was back, a new wave of frustration clear in her eyes. He _hated_ the way she looked like she was giving up – where was the spitfire he fought with on the first day? He sat down, motioning for her to do the same and leaned back. If an apology was what she wanted, then she would get one.

"I told you I wasn't good at this," he began, "so you have to understand that some of the things I say, I don't really mean." He watched her fingers loosen their grip in her hair. Good – progress. "What I've been trying to say for the past twenty minutes is that I didn't mean to make you cry – and I sort of feel bad about it." She finally looked up, her hands completely abandoning her brown tresses. "I didn't expect you to get all worked up over it, and I wasn't exactly in the best of moods, but I suppose I should have been kinder since you didn't look like you were having the time of your life either. I would like to apologize for all the inconsiderate things I said today – I'm not a girl and therefore I do not understand the reasons for your species' mood swings and constant whining." Was that a tiny laugh he just heard? "So…there."

Kimiaru nodded quietly before asking, "What made you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Apologize," she raised an eyebrow, "I know for sure that you didn't just take initiative and decide to do so."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because you're _you_," she shrugged lightly, "So why'd you do it?"

He sat up straight, stifling a yawn, "Tyki decided to pay me a visit; he said something about apologizing, making sure you could tell I meant it, and something to do with severing my head if it wasn't sincere."

Her fingers were busying themselves with the grass as she listened, a pinprick of pain blossoming in her chest.

'_So that's why.'_

"You looked weird," he announced after a while, standing up.

"Should I…be offended?" she asked, rising from her place.

"Well you don't look weird _now_ – actually, you sort of do, but it's not as bad as before."

"Therefore, I'll ask you again – should I be offended?"

"How should I know – you girls are strange," he rubbed the back of his neck, stretching his arms in the process, "You look…odd when you're sad – it just doesn't fit you. That's another reason why I apologized; seeing you like that is kind of uncomfortable," he mumbled a curse under his breath, "I'm making no sense am I? _This_ is why I don't say sorry to anyone – it messes me up! See you later, and remember to tell Tyki; I'm not in the mood to have my heart pulled out because your memory sucks," he turned to leave before glancing at her and rolling his eyes, "are you honestly still upset," he tipped her chin up and squinted, trying to determine her expression.

Apparently, the bright scarlet that her face had turned did not indicate that it might be _embarrassment._

'_**Come on!'**_

'_Absolutely not!'_

'_**Just a peek!'**_

'_No!'_

But in the end, it was futile. Despite all her attempts at restraining herself, her gaze managed to drift down and land on his _perfect _lips; causing the involuntary action of her heart beating at the speed of a race horse. It didn't help that his breath ghosted over her skin, or the fact that he had _no clue what the fuck he was doing_!

Maybe he felt her pulse quicken, or perhaps he'd seen her stare shift, but nevertheless, he followed the direction of her eyes and froze – memories of what had happened the last time they were this close, resurfacing. The bell shocked Kim out of her trance.

She leaped ten feet away, grabbed her backpack, and bid a hurried goodbye to him before racing indoors. Debitto stayed rooted to the spot, blinking repeatedly as if it would clear an invisible fog.

"How interesting," Jasdero muttered, jolting his brother out of his stupor, "We have gym next – make sure your head's clear; I think coach planned dodgeball for today again."

* * *

Kimiaru placed her head against the bathroom mirror, sighing as the cool surface managed to get rid of her blush.

'_And I thought my free period would be uneventful.'_

'_**Stop whining, you know you enjoyed it.'**_

She moved back, checking her ears to make sure the tips weren't still red, and then went over the earlier events.

Debitto attempts to apologize

He fails miserably

I complain about him to Jasdero

Jasdero laughs

Debitto tries to apologize again

He fails miserably again

We get into a big fight

We sit

He apologizes properly

I ask why he apologized

He answers

He gets really close

Awkward moment

Saved by the bell

"And after all that, I'm still willing to put up with this chaos," she examined the collar of her shirt before glancing back at her reflection. "So I guess that's why he's worth it."

* * *

**Deathkiki:** I've always wanted to see Jasdero in onesies - I think he'd be so adorable!

**D. Jam Evans:** His insensitivity is a way of showing care! Or, at least I think it is... And Kim's past isn't too eventful, just a small scare from her younger days.

**yiseunggi: **You're name is a killer to spell xD Hmm, fluff - probably in a few chapters. I'll see if I can fit some into the next one.

**MikaUchiha:** Ah yes, the chicken. It'd be better off back in its coop where Cross left it.

**mp3r:** Thank you! =]

**Jem Juliette Jewels Jade:** :D

**rainbowdragongirl101:** I appreciate that a lot, thank you. :)

**Name Me Obviously: **I don't know who you are :'( A hint please? It's nice to know I got you to like them; in all honesty, I'm not fond of LuluBell _at_ _all_ and Road is a bit iffy for me, but it's fun to twist them around while writing. Okay, you made me smile like an idiot while reading your review. I'm so immensely _flattered_ and in awe about your compliments - they're so sweet and I'm so grateful for them! Wow, okay, you've successfully boosted my ego to immeasurable heights - thank you!

**WhitishBlack:** Thank you so much! :3

**soulbella:** Huh, so you like cliffhangers...thank you so much and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.

**Shi Kurami:** Don't be too hard on Debi, he just doesn't realize that he likes her yet :)

**Lala00:** Thank you! :D

* * *

I love you people, you're all way too kind!

I hope you liked it, inform me of any errors and I'll try to have them fixed.

From now on I'll probably respond to reviews by PM because it takes a while to type in everything in a chapter.

Reviews and candy make me happy. And i don't have candy so...

P.S. Don't feel like you can't ask for something. Prompts or requests/suggestions would be awesome :D


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